Hi all! My name is Natalie, and I've been a 3FC member for about 5 years now (crazy it's been that long!)--anyway, my weight has fluctuated most of my life, and even though I'm not at my heaviest right now, I haven't lost any weight in a little over a year: I keep losing and regaining the same 10 pounds. (Ugh.) Tuesday is my 22nd birthday and the day after I'm planning to revamp a bunch of areas in my life, including my eating & exercise habits. I want to develop some kind of plan/routine and stick to it for a year (and then see what happens), but I'm having trouble deciding how many calories per day would be good for me (I think that's the route I want to go, since it seems the most basic & sustainable). I'm also going to stop drinking soda & eating processed junk, etc etc. At my heaviest, I was 323-326, and I lost about 20 pounds on Jenny Craig, and then the next 30-40 on my own (low carb, calorie count, whatever I felt like)...but I want to design something I can really stick to, something a little more planned.
I thought 1,500 at first--I think I've done anywhere around 14-1800 in the past. Maybe I should cycle them? Like, on days I go to the gym I eat more? I was hoping someone could offer suggestions/insight. I do plan to go to the gym at least 3 times a week to start, hopefully more as I settle into a routine (I just started a new job, and they'll give me a set schedule once I'm trained). In addition to losing weight, I just want to FEEL better. I've felt so yucky lately. I've been heavy since I was 10 and I don't want to be anymore! I've said it thousands of times before, but now that I'm done with school (pretty much--a few more classes) and am home with my parents for the next year until I get my degree and move on to somewhere new, I want to spend the time working on bettering myself...getting healthy, and in a way, preparing myself for the future.
I appreciate everyone's opinion, and thank you for taking the time to read all this, as I tend to write a novel when I post things! Hahahaha.