[AlohaJess]

Hi everyone,

I just came across this website and decided to join on a whim. Hopefully I'll be able to link up with others like me and find a way to meet my goal.

I guess the best way to explain how I feel is... nervous. I'm not hugely overweight - just 20 or 30 pounds, I can shop almost anywhere, I don't have any weight related health problems. I believe most people would describe me as "hippy" or "curvy".

I was a college athlete who worked out continuously and was always in shape (although I never appreciated the great body I had at the time). Now I rarely work out and honestly don't really have the desire to.

I've wanted to lose weight for a while and just haven't had the drive to do it, which makes me nervous. My fiance and I have both gained about 20 lbs since we got together, and we both work in the food industry. I own a custom cake business and am constantly having to taste what I make. Ironically, I don't eat too much of what I make, but we do eat out a LOT and I definitely have a sweet tooth.

I feel nervous that I don't have the self control to limit myself when we're out and about. I consider myself a foodie and definitely always want to try everything. Our social life revolves around group dinners, food festivals, tasting menus.

I've just joined Weight Watchers and am hoping to have some success. My fiance wants to lose weight, too (he used to run marathons) but at this moment is sitting across the table from me eating Rocky Road from the carton.

Anyone have any words of wisdom? I've definitely got an easier road than some others out there, I just need to get my *** in gear and stop making excuses. Thanks in advance!

[Fresh Feeling]

Welldone for deciding to make the change, I can see how hard it is by being surrounded by food all the time. My partner has decided to join me for my walks, which gives me more motivation to do them daily. I end up doing a combination of walking and jogging which is great for getting the heart rate up and burning more calories from walking that you would burn from the average walk.
I lack motivation also, but I just tell myself "Just a walk for today then, 30 mins or whatever" but once im out... well, may as well start jogging a bit!

Good to hear that your fiance wants to lose some weight as well, that always helps maintain healthy eating. figure out how many calories you should eat in a day and then maybe work out a daily plan for food intake, leaving space for all the sweets that you need to taste throughout the day?

Good luck you'll find what works for you eventually, just have to keep trying different methods.

[Jacqui_D]

Hi AlohaJess! Since you are a former athlete and your fiance used to run marathons, maybe the two of you can decide to prepare for a 5K together. In other words, don't just go out and run to run, but run to get ready for a race and maybe your motivation to exercise will come to you. My family is made up of athletes (I'm the exception) and I've found that athletes usually need a goal to shoot for. I see you live in Oakland CA, and so I just googled 5K's in Oakland CA and clicked on the Running in the USA website and it listed a number of races throughout CA for the months of October and November. Maybe it's something to consider? As for being a foodie, pick places that serve healthy food. Become a health food foodie! You are the same height as I am and I just don't want you to end up where I've been. My best advice is to do what you can to get your weight (and your lifestyle affecting your weight) under control. You can do this! Good luck!

[AlohaJess]

Thanks very much, peeps! After a day and a half of this, I can honestly say I'm feeling more optimistic. I'm tracking all of my food, walked the dog 3 miles this morning, and I even cooked a healthy (and yummy) dinner last night.

I think my apprehension comes from always just being able to eat whatever I want and not gaining weight... that's obviously not the case anymore. I'm just not used to having to pay attention to what or how much I'm eating. I don't feel worried at all about gaining more weight, I just am not content with where I am right now.

Thanks so much for the suggestion about 5k's! We've actually been talking about 10k's and half marathons. I have never been a runner so a 5k seems much more do-able.

I value your support - hopefully in a couple of months I'll be writing about how I did it!

[Monkeysocks]

Don't wait a couple of months, check in daily! Forums are super helpful keeping you on track.