Hi there. I joined the forum the other day in an attempt to build up accountability for my weight loss goals. I'm a college student, 19, and I've been "a little bit chubby" my whole life. Either just a bit overweight or right on the border. The kind of fat where your friends say you look fine but your family says that they love you but yeah, you could drop a few. This is the result of my being more or less constantly inactive and eating whatever I feel like eating. But enough of that! I want to lay the foundation for good health before my metabolism catches up with me for real.
The past few weeks I've come to realize just how unhappy I am with my current size and level of fitness. I've been making small efforts to change things. I started out counting calories (and initially was probably eating too little due to that overzealous I'MA GET SKINNY RIGHT NOW attitude). I use thedailyplate.com to track my nutrition and am consuming within the range of what's required to lose 2 pounds a week. I'm eating well and never hungry. And the water! I've been drinking so much water lately! It's amazing how a simple change like that can make a person feel more vibrant and energized.
More recently I've incorporated exercise. I go to the gym at least every other evening with my mom and it's great because we hardly ever see each other during the day. And every night I get down on the floor with a foam mat and do sparkpeople.com pilates workouts for at least half an hour. I'm planning to join a pilates class with a couple of friends for the summer, which should be even more fun. I'm loving pilates because I can really feel my muscles being toned and my body being envigorated. I'm so excited to build strength. And finally I've been going for a lot of walks whenever I have the chance.
My highest weight was somewhere in the low 150s. My weight when I started these recent changes was 146. Today I'm 140, and guess what I'm wearing? Hint: starts with 's', ends with 'ize six jeans'!
I told myself I wouldn't buy incentive clothes because I figured it'd just depress me, but when I tried them on in the fitting room two weeks ago and they just aaaaalmost made it I couldn't bear to leave them there. It's so nice to wear jeans that aren't baggy and frumpy on my butt (or lack thereof) and thighs! Finally my gut is not in the way! I'm so happy I could cry.
The best part is that I don't feel I've had to make many sacrifices, as everything I've changed so far has left me feeling healthier and happier. In the moment it's really tough to get my hand out of the candy jar or get my butt off the couch and to the gym, and on really lousy days I'm tempted to just veg out and not take responsibility, but small victories like this keep me on track.
My ultimate goal is 120 lbs, which would put me at a comfy BMI of 20.6. Hopefully I can keep all my favourite curves. I know I'm not losing as much as a lot of you are, but I'll certainly be pushing myself just like the rest so I hope I'll fit in.
Sorry for the novel, but that's me and I hope I can find a place here. Nice to meet you all!
I'm on a roll!
