Getting started...
I've stumbled onto this site and it looks to be one heck of a great support system for women (and men) of all sizes trying to get healthier!
Anyhow, I've fought my weight off and on for as long as I can remember, but I'm trying to make the final changes needed to switch things around. I love to stay active, though my job has limited this the last few years, and it SHOWS! I tend to gain weight due to stress, lose a little and then gain it back plus some, etc. I was very active in high school, though always the "chubby" girl at 160 and 5'6", but I never worried too much about it (other than the usual teenage self-consciousness). I went to college and gained 10 pounds, broke up with my boyfriend and gained another 10 before graduation in '03. Graduate school and two rounds of comprehensive exams brought on another 20 pounds over the last 4 years. Every time I hit a new peak, I swear it's the last, and that I'll change things "for good" this time, etc. We've all heard it before.
So, a year ago I realized I'd actually hit 200 pounds, the "unheard-of" number that was just baffling to see on the scale. And I didn't feel like starving myself anymore, so I just decided to deal with it for a while. I was fat, but I was going to stop obsessing over it and start doing the stuff I'd been putting off, like starting to run again, and buying new clothes and doing fun stuff I thought I was too fat for. If I was going to be fat, I was going to have some fun anyhow. And I did. I started to run. I started to swim, and took rock-climbing lessons, and planned a trip with some girlfriends to Trinidad and Tobago. I bought bikinis for said trip to the beach. And I wore them, last month! And I don't think I looked half bad!
I'm still around 200 pounds, though I'm not obsessing over it. I'm more active and more happy than I've been in quite a while, and while I'm ready to start working on losing weight for good, it's not going to shape my life one way or another. Regardless of not losing weight, I'm more fit than I've been in years and I feel darn good. I'm now training for a triathlon later this summer, and healthier foods have helped me fuel my training better than the fatty stuff I used to eat (though I still have my days of junk food and beer). I feel good when I'm active and eating well, and I don't feel nearly as good when I'm not.
I'm in the process of writing my thesis, wrapping up my projects, and applying for jobs after graduating in June. All stressful, and all stuff that would have me eating crap and zoning out in front of the TV when I'm not actively working on it - my old way of dealing with stress. I'm not too worried about losing weight over the next 3 months before my defense, (though I wouldn't be surprised if I do) but instead just focusing on staying active and not backtracking into the old stuff.
So, I realize this was one heck of an introduction, but I look forward to getting to know folks around here and sharing support as we move along together. Here goes!
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