Haha I wrote a blog post just today on this topic - related to weight loss and finances!

http://evolvingpf.com/2012/08/how-to...r-personality/

My personality is suited for abrupt, overnight change and I do well with black and white rules - I struggle with moderation. I didn't do everything right from the beginning but early on I broke my sugar addiction and that transformed everything.

:wave: Welcome!!!!!!!!!!!
How did you begin the journey?
I started when my sister told me I was obese and I would end up too big to go back. It got me really hurt but boy did it wake me up.
Did you went all in or did you make small changes over time? What were the first steps you took?
Take it one day at a time. That's my advice. Honestly, start making one small change and then keep adding some until you find your comfort with your new lifestyle. Don't forget that it is a lifestyle change and not just a "diet". You can't lose the weight and go back to eating the way you were before, you need to continue... basically forever lol.

I started with making sure I slept enough and drank enough water. I found it made me less hungry and gave me more energy to do my workouts. I did only 15-20 minute workouts and then eventually brought it up to 45-60. I started by cutting anything other than water and kissing my alcohol good bye. I also stopped eating most refined carbs and concentrated mostly on protein and greens.

I think your plan is good, start off with that and then slowly start making bigger changes. Definitely writing everything down helps. Try my fitness pal, and also try measuring properly, sometimes we underestimate what a tablespoon is :p

Good luck sweetie!! And if you ever need any advice or to rant, let me know ;) xo :hug:

About 3 years ago, I was at my highest weight (and most depressed). I borrowed some money off of my mom and bought Beachbody's Insanity dvds--I saw the infomercial while having a late night Doritos binge. When I got it, I just followed the workout calender. Sure, I was horrible at first, but I got better. I also gave up alcohol and processed junk food. I ate three square meals a day, with a small "sweet" snack (yogurt, a protein shake, etc.) after dinner because I had been having trouble with late night binges. I don't know my exact highest weight because I had scale phobia, but when I finished the 60 day cycle I finally stepped on a scale--and had lost at LEAST 30 pounds. I then started really trying to watch my diet and have lost about 18 more. I don't count calories -- never have. But now I do weigh myself regularly. Good luck, some people make gradual changes and others just jump right in -- just find what works for you and go for it!

:wel3fc:

Love this organized thread. Ok let's see...

How did you begin the journey?

It was 3 years ago and I was 131 kg when two doctors told me the harsh truth. My gynaecologist told me I had to lose weight to help my PCOS or I would probably never get to have children. My doctor also told me that as my father's family has diabetes I had a high risk of developing one before I was 40 if I kept putting on weight. I think the whole children issue was what did it for me as I love children and want a big family.

What were the first steps you took?

I cut off sweets. I was sugar-addicted for years and even though I knew what was good for me in terms of eating and ate salads and grilled food, if I was depressed or stresses I could eat 5 chocolate bars in a row. I still eat an ice-cream once a week, or a chocolate bar but this is as much as I will go.

I also went to see a therapist that helped me become more extrovert as I was really shy and kept eating instead of confronting issues that bugged me.

I started exercising fairly recently. I used to do yoga while I was studying and recently started practicing it again and started dancing as well.

I've made several flash cards, each with a days worth of food that I really like and the calories each one is. Each morning I pick a flashcard of what foods sounds good, and then if I slip up and have something I wasn't planning on, or if someone brings a snack that I REALLY like to work, all i have to do is refer back to the flash card and figure out which thing I want to switch out for it.

How did you begin the journey?

My doctor thought I had hormone issues, went to see a consultant with my bf and he said eh no you're just obese, tell me about what you eat and I didn't tell him about the binging or portions but I was so embarresed I thought it was serious and my bf was really worried.. but I was still in denail, then a year later I got into thinking mode where I was thinking about how at 16 I promised myself I would be slim by 21 and it was fast approaching, took another while for me to take action and over the last year ive been changing habits, making mistakes but here is my back story of how I ended up here.

I was overweight since I was 9, lost quite a bit of weight when I was 14 (normal to slim) but not overly concious of it so when I was 15-16 I put on a lot of weight by eating huge portions of carbs and staying in binge eating, when my final exams 16-17 came up I thought it doesnt matter what I eat I'll just do the exams, lose weight after and I'll be in shape by the time im 21 even though I really hated the fact I was fat during college and missed out so much because of it, so being 17 I thought I need to focus on my exams so I probaby put on another 20lbs to make me 40lbs overweight, then I started college.. cycling everyday and that helped but then because I could buy my own food I started eating badly but then when things got bad and during college I then started seriously binging everyday, age 19-20, so from being 160s during age 16-17/8 when i was 18/19/20 I shot up to the 190s/200s+..

It wasnt until around the time of my 20th, I noticed myself having to hide a little double chin in pictures or not fitting into old clothes. It was because the last two years I had been eating a tub of icecream, whole pizza, 6 portions of potato/pasta and mindless snacks.

So my 20th birthday in April passed and I thought oh well maybe its just not going to happen, then in May I got my own place so I finally could cook and had a stable living environment and by July I thought nothing is stopping me now, if I don't start now and miss my in shape by 21 target I will let things slide for another 5 years.. I want to be 25 and slim, going out, having a good time but if I was fat and 25 id probably let it slip more years and then il be heading towards 30 and wasted my entire youth staying in messing up my body and isolating people from me. Mostly though being self destructive.

***SO...****
I started buying better foods that I LIKED and individual portions of my trigger foods instead of a family sized thing, brown bread, proteins, veg I liked and limited the big junk foods. Binging went from every day second day to maybe once a week, I got better over the weeks at my food and my calorie intake dropped

+ I tried to cycle (for 1.5-2 hours every second day to twice a week just to get out of the house)

I kept thinking I have to do this NOW, I have to save my life from drifting on empty promises.

Then college started and I had to walk 40 mins a day to and from the bus stop, I ate muesli and brought in lunch/ another lunch for dinner if I stayed late.

between july and november I lost a lot of weight and got complacent so november and december was full of excuses and it was a huge set back, after xmas I spent a while trying to get rid of that mess up and always trying to maintain at least my weight because I was in my final year of college.


So I had lost 25 lbs from july to march with a bit of bouncing around, I kept hitting this 185 number, again and again I felt like maybe this is a sign maybe I'm just meant to be kinda fat? because guess what... my birthday was next month and I was fat..21 and fat, on the week of my birthday I gained 5lbs so I was 190... UGH!!!!!!!!!! nooo. So reality hit me hard then pretty quickly I got down to 181, but once I saw that 184 something changed in me. Then again when I finally fought my way into 170s by doing everything I could right everyday, I am now trying to get out of the 170s this month and trying to get to 150s/40s by January.. so then if I am 130-140s by my birthday I will feel like I didn't QUITE let my 16 year old self down, I can take care of the both of us.

Welcome! :)

I just started off pretty intense. I changed my diet and exercised for 30 minutes seven days a week. Then once that got easy I exercised for a hour a day. Now I am at about 40 minutes every monday, wednesday, and friday, but we run. I stayed away from fast food entirely. I don't count subway as a fast food since I eat the healthy food there. I limited sat. fat, sugar, and salt the best I could. 50 pounds later it is working pretty well I guess :) I started on March 20th. this year.

Good luck, I bet you are going to lose the weight in no time! :)