Hello,
I am 34 years old, I am 5'5" and I currently weigh 171. My lean body mass is 125, currently (the weight of my non-fat). My fat% is roughly 27%--my goals is to hit 12-14% (whatever that weight ends up being). My guess is that it will end up being about 132, or so.
I work in HR for a major retailer, which means I have some really irregular hours--and alot of stress. So, when work gets busy, I am not on this board frequently.
I do try to catch up whenever I can.
I grew up on a farm in West Viriginia, went to school there and promptly moved to Arizona. After moving out on my own, I started a 10-year trend of gaining more and more weight every year--adding on more and more weight as my jobs got more and more stress oriented.
I attempted to control my gain problem by doing Atkins for a year or so...I lost almost all of the weight I wanted to...and then promptly gained it back in 6 months. I believe that that diet really played some nasty tricks on my metabolism. My weight gain was incredibly fast after I left Atkins, compared to the calories that I was eating.
Then my world changed...I got engaged in May 2004 (weighing over 210 pounds) and swore that I would be back to my normal zone of weight when I got married. (Not just for the pictures/wedding...but more because the weight loss would be a outward indication of better balance in my life).
So, my goal for the last 6 months has been BALANCE--spending a little less time at work...spending a little more time on me and, of course, my fiance.
Starting in March 05 I started focusing on making sure I had a long and healthy life with my husband-to-be. I started out on Weight Watchers and I lost 20+ pounds...but I "broke" the diet. I started to find ways to have exactly what I wanted and I was eating exactly what I wanted in one meal a day...but still within my points for the day.
Realizing that I needed something that dictated a balanced diet, I came across LAWL and started to doing alot of reseach. I began LAWL in August. I started out following the diet to the letter of the law, because I needed the discipline to get in the right frame of mind.
As I progress, I am doing more and more research on diets/exercise. The more I read, the more I modify what I am doing (so instead of "breaking" the diet, I am modifying it so that it gets me where I want to go). I still consider that I am doing LAWL...though not through a center...but I am focusing on more than the basics of the plan.
I focus on eating appropriate amounts of calories (switching from 1200 to 1400 calories every other week, to keep my metabolism going and not adjusting to hit plateaus) and watching my weight loss and adjusting my exercise routine to boost my metabolism when I notice stalls. I have also gotten away from eating protein bars and have supplemented the caloric and nutrient intake with other foods. I am keeping myself motivated by reading alot about nutrition/natural cures, etc.
To date, I have lost 17 pounds on LAWL since August (2 1/2 months). I currently weight 171, so I have quite a way to go to hit my goal of 132 by my wedding.
More realistically, however, I would like to be/look healthy and happy for my wedding.
As long as I keep on track with what I have been doing, I am going to be happy with my results by March 20, 2005--when we are getting married on a beach in Maui.
I just try to keep in mind that this diet goes one bite at a time and I try to make good decisions that don't negatively impact my goals (be it balance or weight loss).
I wish you all luck and discipline in reaching all of your goals.
-Dee