Nestie Ashley_T on working her way up to a triathlon
Posted
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 3:28 PM
Nest Anni: So what’s your overall goal? Weight loss? Getting toned? Running a race?
Ashley_T: Originally
it was to lose weight (and for health reasons). Now I'm training to run
my first 5K and eventually work up to do triathlons.
Nest Anni: What was the breaking point that provoked you to make changes?
Ashley_T: When
I realized that I was 212 lb. and only 5' 8" tall and that my husband
was carrying over 345 lb. on his 6' 3" frame. My mum sat me down and
told me she was concerned for his health and worried that we'd lose him
before he was 30 if he kept gaining that way. It was hard to hear, but
it worked.
Nest Anni: What kind of changes have you made so far?
Ashley_T: We
started out walking 30 minutes a day and just watching what we were
eating. We never gave anything up; we just made changes to portions and
versions of different foods (example: switch from regular pasta to
whole wheat pasta, buying nonfat options of foods we regularly eat,
etc...). There was no "dieting" -- there were permanent lifestyles
changes made. My husband continues to do this, but for me, it has
evolved. I now work out five days a week before work, alternating
between running (using the Couch-to-5K program) and swimming laps. I
also loosely track my daily calorie intake to make sure I'm getting
what I need. My next short-term goal is to quit smoking altogether
(I've cut back, but I want to be 100% smoke-free).
Nest Anni: What’s your favorite healthy snack?
Ashley_T: Day: low-fat cheese strings and bananas. Night: 100-calorie bags of popcorn or vanilla frozen yogurt
Nest Anni: What’s your biggest obstacle?
Ashley_T: Snacking and portion control. I work on these daily and will probably continue to do so for a long time.
Nest Anni: Do you have any secrets to your motivation?
Ashley_T: No secrets...I wanted to do it for me. I was tired of being "the fat friend" and I was tired of being tired.
I wanted to be healthy and I didn't want to be ashamed of who I was or
what I looked like. When it finally hit me, it didn't take long for me
to start making changes.
Nest Anni: What HASN’T worked for you in the past?
Ashley_T: Hands down, without a doubt, it was short-term diets. I felt deprived, locked in, and always thinking, When I can eat again, I'll have some chocolate.
This led to either no weight loss at all or gaining it back very
quickly when I was "done" with the diet. I didn't need a short-term
solution; I needed to change my lifestyle and way of thinking about
food/exercise.
Nest Anni: Any advice for others trying to get on track?
Ashley_T: In terms of exercise:
1.
Find something that you like to do. Don't just start running with a
friend because you know it's good exercise. You have to enjoy it or you
won't stick to it. And really, why live your life doing some activity
on a daily basis that you really don't like? Life's too short.
2.
Have variety. Don't just stick to the same thing all the time. I
alternate between swimming and running because I love them both so
much. It adds variety to my mornings.
3. Move more. Everyone has
heard it 100 times before, but it's soooo true. Take the stairs at work
(even if it's not all the way, just take the elevator to a couple
floors below yours and then hop on the stairs), walk to the store if
you're just picking up bread, park at the back of the lot at the mall
and walk in. These will only add a couple minutes to your day, but
it'll do you so much good in terms of exercise. If you could add it all
up at the end of the week, you'd be surprised (I did it and I was).
In terms of healthy eating:
1.
EAT! If you starve yourself, you'll either get sick or your body will
start to store everything. You must meet your minimum daily calorie
intake and you must adjust your minimum as your exercise
intensity/frequency increases.
2. Don't cut anything out that you
plan on eating again. Example: If you cut out carbs to lose weight
quickly, you'll definitely lose weight quickly. But then you have to be
so careful reintroducing them or you'll balloon. Learn the habit of
"everything in moderation."
3. Find quick, healthy, low-fat snacks
that you like and eat them. Make sure to always have something on hand
so you don't grab the cookies or chocolate bar from the office vending
machine.
Thanks Ashley! Your tips are great!
