Better Body Goals-Accountability Thread

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Well actually that before and after picture on the right is of a surgical brazilian butt lift haha but I can vouch! I did a variation of it with a 25lb dumbbell for three months and gained 11lb of muscle mass, mostly lower body. But since muscle weighs more than fat I wasn't like I had these huge quads. I need to start up again. The weighted squats helps get rid of stretch marks (yes, every woman has them) but mine seem to have doubled since I slowed down

[Mary Marine]

Went to the pool again today! Swim laps and walked in the resistance pool for a total of 50 minutes, then floated for an hour for fun.

[Mermaid Saphira]

My diet plan combined with an active job and hobbies works for me. Diet is super important and I firmly believe that counting calories really does make a difference. I plan on working on legs this summer though. More hiking and more swimming for me! Swimming will also help me add a little more definition to my abs. This is where I'm at now:

You have an amazing figure, Mechanic!

So I did stop for a little while, but now I'm back on the Jillian's 30 day shred and have been doing it for..what? 5 days now? Anyway, I have noticed a few changes, but I'm still not happy. Patience plays a huge part, I guess :/. I am feeling a little discouraged though. I went swimsuit shopping today and I couldn't find a single thing I liked on my body, mostly my butt :P

[Mermaid Varshana]

I FINALLY got to 150lbs today! I'm 5lbs from my goal

[Mermaid Saphira]

I FINALLY got to 150lbs today! I'm 5lbs from my goal

Yay! Go girl!

[SeaGlass Siren]

Congrats varshana!!!

Ive reached my goal. Weighing the same but reduced in size. Meaning I now have muscle weight!!!

[deepblue]

Congrats to both of you!

The measurements I took on 6/30 were:

butt 38"
hips 37"
waist 27.5"

And today, basically a month later, they're:

butt 37.5"
hips 35"
waist 27"

I'm not paying attention to under or over bust measurement at this point.

The butt measurement I'm happy with. It's lifting. I could tell anyway, because before, if I stood with my arms down, my fingers met my bum at a certain point, and now I have to curl my fingers up a bit to touch the same spot. I still have a lot of fat to lose, but it took a few years to get there, it won't come off in one month.

So this is pretty good progress. Only a few days where I didn't eat enough because I had no choice. This is all the result of eating well, making sure I get enough calories, and working out. I started off at three days a week or so, and the last couple weeks I've been working out every other day. Except yesterday, my migraine was far too bad. Skipping that one day though, I really felt it, and I felt stodgy all day.

So far, so good.

[cheshkitten]

Sadly, over the last few months I've really ballooned up. I'm not sure what was the root cause, but all at the same time I gained weight, stopped eating as well as I know I should (due to not really having the finances to eat well), have had insomnia and anxiety, worsened depression, and my PCOS has been getting worse. :/

With PCOS, I have to be careful of insulin resistance and weight gain, so I think that is the best place to start. I'm currently 155lbs (measured last night after dinner), just 10lbs shy of my highest weight. However, since I got diagnosed with PCOS and started taking Testosterone blockers, the way my body stores fat has changed dramatically. I used to gain everywhere evenly, now it centers more on my boobs, thighs and butt. So the plus side is that I'm storing weight in "healthier" places (better to be pear than apple), and don't feel as bloated.

Today starts my new eating plan. I need to start eating lower GI foods, and cut back on fast/convenience foods.

I just got a Groupon for Hot Yoga classes, so I will start doing that every day I don't have work, plus either a walk or bike ride with my dog either in the morning or after work. I also have a gym membership at a place that has a small lap pool, so I need to start swimming more often too!

Goals:
Get back on track with healthy eating (~1200 cal), and exercise almost every day.
Goal weight 1: 145lbs (By mid Sept)
Goal weight 2: 135lbs (By Nov 1st)
Ultimate goal weight: 125lbs or, if I start weight lifting 135lbs to account for muscle

Before:


Now:

[Mermaid Varshana]

Congrats to both of you!

The measurements I took on 6/30 were:

butt 38"
hips 37"
waist 27.5"

And today, basically a month later, they're:

butt 37.5"
hips 35"
waist 27"

I'm not paying attention to under or over bust measurement at this point.

The butt measurement I'm happy with. It's lifting. I could tell anyway, because before, if I stood with my arms down, my fingers met my bum at a certain point, and now I have to curl my fingers up a bit to touch the same spot. I still have a lot of fat to lose, but it took a few years to get there, it won't come off in one month.

So this is pretty good progress. Only a few days where I didn't eat enough because I had no choice. This is all the result of eating well, making sure I get enough calories, and working out. I started off at three days a week or so, and the last couple weeks I've been working out every other day. Except yesterday, my migraine was far too bad. Skipping that one day though, I really felt it, and I felt stodgy all day.

So far, so good.

How tall are you, Blue?

[Mermaid Varshana]

Btw, don't weigh yourself after dinner. You can put as much as 5lbs on throughout the day.

[cheshkitten]

Btw, don't weigh yourself after dinner. You can put as much as 5lbs on throughout the day.

Yeah, I know but I was at a friends house and he had a much better scale than mine. His said that I was 155.6 at night and mine usually says 155 in the morning, so I guess that's good?

[Mermaid Veruliya]

I feel like the odd one out. I'm trying so hard to gain weight, and for my body type, it's as hard as losing weight. Don't tell me to eat more, believe me, I've heard enough of that bullshark and it's as annoying and hurtful as telling someone they're too fat, eat less.
I'd like my little arms to get a bit bigger and my thighs and booty definitely. I'm giving up on my legs bc my dad has bird legs like me, and you can't help genetics. We'll see what better progress I can make.

[Mermaid Varshana]

I was your size when I was 18. It will come, no worries

[deepblue]

My sister goes through that. ^ Have you researched online? I know, though, it's hard to find weight gain sites that aren't body-building centric, and that's not quite the same as what you're talking about.

How tall are you, Blue?

I'm 5'3". Tiny bones, too- my wrists are 5 1/2" around at the widest point, my ankles are 7" around.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Blue...my wrists are like yours xD tiny baby hands. My ring size is a 3

[Mermaid Veruliya]

Actually that may be my problem, no muscle at all. Ive always been athletic but hated sports. I know I'm an ectomorph (google y'all) and so it's extremely hard to put on any kind of weight, including muscle. When I was working out 5x a week for about 5 months, lifting weight for 3, I gained 11lbs. Ands I lost half of it after I didn't lift for three weeks. Also, it never made any visible difference. I'm comfortable with being small now, I'd just like to gain an inch or two in my arms and 3-5 in my hips/ thighs

[Mermaid Varshana]

Lift weights like the boys. You'll get arms and a booty in no time!

[Mermaid Veruliya]

That's my plan, watch out boys!

[Mermaidmechanic]

Thanks all for the compliments... I find that forcing fruits and veggies down at least once a day keeps me feeling happy and energized. When I neglect to eat them, I feel slow and unmotivated so I strongly suggest incorporating lots of plants into you diet! Juicing is a great way to do that and you can even make cool stuff from the pulp (like soup or muffins)!

Now, for those of you struggling to loose weight, I'm going to say something that a lot of people will argue/disagree with and that I don't necessarily recommend unless you're having a really hard time with weight. Here's a back story first: A while back ago I went on birth control via injection. My hormones went all sorts of crazy and I gained a lot of weight that I could not loose. After many unsuccessful attempts to loose the weight in a healthy manner, I cheated. Before I tell you what I used, I'm going to say this. If you choose to use it, it can give you weird side effects. You will feel crappy for the first week or two... lightheaded, nauseous, agitated, a whole slew of potential side effects that I determined were worth the risk. It's not healthy and you still have to make sure you're eating right and being active, but it shed my stubborn weight in a 2 month period. You have to follow the directions if you take it or serious health problems can occur. Additionally, if you do decide to do it, you should only take it until you're at a healthy weight and then maintain yourself the healthy way. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, I used a metabolism booster known as oxy elite pro. They sell it at GNC and it worked wonders. It's not a magic pill (it comes with all sorts of potential health risks) but for me, getting rid of that weight and the frustration of my body not responding to any healthy means of weight control, was worth it. Once I got to my desired weight, I dropped the oxy elite and also the birth control shot because screw that. After witnessing my dramatic change, a bunch of my friends used it with a similar outcome. Loosing that uncomfortable weight allowed my to go back to some of my hobbies which the extra pounds interfered with AND saved me the trouble of having to buy bigger clothes (and uniforms). Anyway, just thought I would mention it. Im not saying run out and buy metabolism boosters, but if you're body just wont comply and your weight makes you really uncomfortable, then it might be something to look into.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Mechanic you brave soul.. ._. I don't take any type of pills besides menstrual cramping pills when I can't tank the cramps.