r/WellnessOver30

My family and I recently took a photo for Mother’s Day and I’ve never felt so ugly and fat in my entire life. My arms looked huge and I felt like I looked bigger than everyone else in the photo even though I know I’m not. I was closest to the camera and I was bent downward in the front. I know the angle was horrible because in other photos I don’t look like that, but I feel like this made me wake up a bit that I need to be consistent with fitness.

I will also mention that I know I’m not obese and have a serious health problem but I do just want to be healthier in general. I think that photo was just something that is pushing me now. Even though I know I’m not ugly or fat. That’s just how I felt seeing that photo.

For a reference, I’m a 32 woman, 5ft, 38 DDD, and I weigh 150. I carry more of my fat in my lower belly because I have a hormonal imbalance/endo. My breasts also way more than that you would think. I’ve thought about getting a breast reduction, but I’m trying to do it naturally first. I also would love for my arms to be a bit smaller, but besides that I have a pretty fit body. I just have areas that need improvement and I want to feel healthier

It would be very beneficial if I could get some advice from women who have had similar struggles and actually lost the weight or people who have done a lot of research in losing weight when it comes to having hormone imbalances. I have always been a very small woman until I had something dramatic happened to me and I really do think it threw off my hormones even more. I’ve been trying to get back to a better level of fitness and health since then.

My plan right now is to try to eat more because that is actually part of my problem is I don’t eat enough and a lot of people around me, tell me that I’m doing harm to my body. My plan is to eat eggs and yogurt/fruit or smoothie in the morning. Lunch, 4oz of protein, 2oz veggie, and 2oz rice. Dinner some sort of meat, veggie, and sometimes a starch. Snacks I bought fruit, yogurt, granola, trail mix, ingredients to make smoothies, cottage cheese, and honey.

For Fitness, I’m going to start out slow, so hopefully I don’t quit.

My plan is to do core workouts at my home gym, get on my resistance bike, do arm workouts with my weights, and eventually start weightlifting. I have a 12lb weighted vest I plan to use. Once I feel like I’m improving, I am going to add running into my schedule because I used to really enjoy that even though with my asthma, I feel like I’m going to die lol.

Then I also plan to join a cycling class that also offers Pilates. But I’m going to start with cycling and go one to two times a week at first until I feel more comfortable. I have thought about doing at homework workouts and classes because I feel like a class will motivate me more and be around likeminded people have similar minds that will push me.

In the beginning I am think 3 times a week for fitness and 3 days of rest/recovery workouts and move up from there.

Is there any other any critique any one could give me that would be helpful. And any love as well because I’ve never felt this sad about my body.

Thank you so much ❤️

I'm 34 now, and I've tried to quit coffee several times with mixed results. But I could only last 2-3 month at most.

I was fed up with reaching a point where I wasn't getting any extra energy, and at most my hands would start shaking. And overall with my ADHD it just made it harder for me to focus.

I'd tried switching to mushroom coffee before, and I liked the effect, but I can't stand the mushroom aftertaste, so I was looking for something else.

And now after a few weeks of switching to mushroom protein coffee and reducing my caffeine intake, I'm incredibly happy that I didn't have to give up that morning ritual and feel better without any aftertaste.

I'm also looking into switching to non-stick pans so I don't have to use oil if it's possible, because I'm constantly exceeding my daily fat intake limit

Didn’t realize how bad sleep can really make or break your day until I myself experiences it. Lately I’ve been waking up with this annoying lower back pain almost every morning. Some days it’s my hips too and other days I just feel really stiff when I get out of bed. I keep wondering if it’s my mattress but it’s not even that old, am I just getting OLD? dear jesus.

I’m not even ready to spend a lot of money on a new mattess again to get a new one. At this point, I’m just considering adding a topper instead.

But what would be the most ideal for someone with back pain and sleeps mostly on the side and back? my options right now are the Helix ErgoAlign and the Broklyn Bedding Memory Foam topper. Anyone tried any of this?