[Navi]

Hello ladies (and gentlemen, if indeed there are any here )

I've posted a little bit over on the Alternachicks forum but I figured this would be the best place for me to find a weight loss buddy.

A bit about me-- I'm 22, 5'4" and 195 pounds. I'd like to lose 60-65 pounds. I work at home and don't have any kids (which means I spend waaaaaaaay too much time sitting in front of my computer).

I'm a vegetarian who's working on going vegan. I don't eat meat and I'm working on cutting out milk, cheese, other dairy products, and eggs.

The main reason I need to go "on a diet" is because I get severe PMS, or pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder. It's basically PMS that's so severe it interferes with a woman's daily activities such as work, school, social life, etc. The best thing I can do to combat this is diet and exercise. And by "diet" I mean no refined flours (whole wheat is OK in moderation tho), no refined sugars (but fruit is good), no caffeine, no nicotine, no alcohol. I'm also trying to eat a low to moderate fat diet to attempt to lose weight. Excess body fat contributes to overproduction of estrogen which makes the PMS worse.

I'm doing great without caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol, but it's the refined flours and sugars I'm having trouble staying away from. (Chocolate, anyone? )

I refuse to count calories, fat grams, carbs, any of that. I refuse to obsess over what I eat. However, I need to make an effort to eat more healthy foods like fruits, veggies, and whole grains. And I need to motivate myself to exercise, which is another huge obstacle for me... it's just so much easier to sit in one place all day!

Um. So yeah. Sorry this is so long-winded. But if anyone's in the same boat, or a boat that's kinda drifting in the same part of the ocean, and wants to be my weightloss buddy via e-mail once a day or so, let me know. If you're a vegetarian too that would probably work best, as we could exchange recipes as well.