Hello Everyone,
Reading your journeys on here has been very helpful and it's inspired me to share mine. I've been so ashamed as of late, since I only recently found out just how much I've gained.
I was a gymnast for 9 years (age 8-17). Because of the strict training timetable and my participation in several school sports, I had never had to worry about my weight before graduation. 9 hours per week of gymnastics, a few of volleyball, a few of softball and sometimes ice skating, made it very easy to eat whatever I wanted without ever looking at a food label. I was nutrition concious, but had, and will always have, a sweet tooth.
Leaving school was monumental for me. I moved countries (Russia to Australia) and began Law School. Unfortunately, the university I attended wasn't athletics oriented at all (unless you count some just-for-fun beach volleyball). I concentrated on my studies and as usual, ate whatever I wanted. I got excellent grades, but gained 20kgs in 18 months. With no previous experience having to 'work weight off', I just started jogging a couple of times a week. I lost a few, but don't recall ever being able to buy a smaller dress size (size 12 after my weight gain). It did bother me from time to time, but I was a very social person and despite being on the Gold Coast, had a great group of friends. After 18 months had passed, my scholarship expired and I had to leave university.
Two years have passed since then, in which I've found a job I love, a great guy and moved to Sydney. Through utter laziness and complacency, I've also gained 30 MORE kgs in that time. It really hit me 6 months ago when, despite having bought clothing throughout this time, I couldn't fit into a single pair of pants (jeans, suit, etc). I would estimate that I have $10,000 in clothing, shoes and accessories that I flat-out can't use whatsoever because I am now a size 16/18(sometimes 20).
My partner is very supportive and loving, but I know that this has to stop. I very rarely feel attractive anymore and often wonder why he has stuck around. I'm not a shallow person, but I see how I look now and can't imagine anyone seeing it as sexy or pretty. His unwavering support is definitely one of the reasons I've begun my Duromine journey.
I started taking Duromine exactly 1 week ago. I thought it would be beneficial to provide a rough picture of my diet before and after(during) taking it.
Without Duromine:
1 Large Flat White Coffee, No Sugar
1 Ham, Cheese, Tomato Toastie on White Bread (Sometimes I would have nutella smeared all over two pieces of toast and a banana)
1 Breaded Chicken Wrap w/Sauce, Veggies
1 Can of Soft Drink
1 Fruit Salad w/Yogurt
1 Chocolate Bar (Picnic, Hershey's etc)
1 Butter Chicken w/Rice
1 Naan Bread
1 Magnum Ice Cream
I don't know exactly how many calories all of this would have in it, but I would estimate about 2700.
On Duromine:
1 Small Flat White, No Sugar
1 Ham, Cheese, Tomato Toastie on Wheat
1 Piece of Wheat Toast w/Margarine
1 Mandarin
1 175-200g Steak w/Veggies
LITRES of water!
Again, I'm not sure exactly what the calories would be for this, but I would estimate about 1000.
To be clear, I spend very little time in the day being hungry. I did not simply stop eating to maximize the effect of the duromine. The reality is, I don't have the willpower to not eat when I'm hungry and even bored. Often, I wouldn't even want the toastie in the morning, but I knew I had to eat something. Sometimes I eat half at 8:30am and then the other half at around 10:30. I've happily cut out the sugar since I don't crave anymore and because of the dry mouth, I drink so much water instead of soft drink or juice.
The only noticeable symptoms are dry mouth and constipation. I've gotten a headache or two throughout the week, but nothing major. I feel AMAZING in the mornings, even on 5-6 hours sleep. I am a 9 hour person, with anything less than that usually meaning my mornings are tired and unproductive.
I joined the gym on Thursday, but haven't yet gone, as I need to buy some properly fitting gym clothes. I'm going to weigh myself on Monday to see what the results are and then I'll post them up! From the look of things, I wouldn't be surprised if I've lost 5kgs (down from 109kgs).
Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to do it properly! Thanks for reading.
D.
