Brand new collegiate, looking for support!
Hey y'all I have been reading the 3FC forums for quite some time now and I have finally decided to join in! Let me give a little background information on myself. I have always been genetically blessed with a tall body and thin frame, as has everyone in my family. Regardless of these familial gifts, my oldest sister struggled with severe anorexia for the entirety of her middle school and high school years (my elementary and middle school years). Growing up while watching someone so beautiful starve themselves to the point of hospitalization twice, and out of state in patient treatment was an enormous mental struggle. I did not realize how much this affected me until I left home and moved onto College. At the beginning of my sophomore year I began to date someone in the class above me and consequently began to spend a lot of time with his friends. He is an NCAA division one (ACC) basketball player and essentially has no weight worries aside from gaining muscle to bulk up for the season. Over the course of first semester I gradually packed on close to 20 pounds as the result of over eating, beer drinking, and lack of exercise. The weight gain was so gradual that I hardly noticed, the only place I saw a problem were the two tiny stretch marks on my left side. At the beginning of second semester I discovered ZUMBA and it changed my life. I quickly and effortlessly dropped the 20 pounds by attending these fantastic dance classes 3 times a week and have had no problem since then maintaining my pre-college weight. Upon recent self reflection I realized that while I initially may have solely attributed my weight gain to bad habits, I think those habits were triggered my desire for social acceptance. I realized that the first few months of my new relationship were stressful (as was the massive increase in workload of sophomore year) and I realized I would rather spend my time building relationships to boost my self esteem rather than hit the gym and maintain my previously healthy lifestyle. I have been maintaining my pre-college weight for over 8 months now and would like to lose a few more via the new ballet classes I have added to my ZUMBA schedule. I am worried however that my emotional eating will catch up with me if things get out of control and this forum is a fantastic outlet for those emotions because I know deep down that whatever is in the fridge will not fix my problems. I can't wait to lean on everyone here and offer up support as well! Thanks for listening to my story!
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