hi i'm candice, and although i am still aiming to lose a few more pounds, i am thinking about easing into maintence mode at this point (seems like many of y'all continue to lose after getting to goal, so i want to plan ahead and not get stick-like
).
a little about me.. i started out dieting at 238 pounds in july 2001. i had always been fat, even as a kid, and i thought i always would be. i didn't think i ate too much (i did, though!), and i thought i was just "genetically predisposed" to be fat. i was 180 in high school, and then i gained the freshman 50. i didn't like being fat, but it didn't bother me much because i had been that way a long time. my mom bought me a gym membership and training sessions in july 2001, and i just said what the heck. i'll give it a try since she plunked down so much cash for it.
my trainer really opened my eyes! i had never thought about counting calories before. i had never even considered it. i had occasionally tried "low-fat" diets, but hey now, gummy bears and coke are fat-free! bring it! when i immediately started losing weight and inches, i was hooked.
once i stopped journaling, i gained a lot of weight back though. when i hit 198 in may last year though, i freaked. i had to start counting and journaling again, or i was going to be fat again!
so i started counting and journaling, and of course it worked, so now i am 10 pounds away from the high end of my goal range (and i think i will be most comfortable at the top of it anyway), and i am ready to maintain these habits for life. in ten years, i will be able to able to tell you what i ate for lunch today, because i am saving all my journals. they are a symbol of my accomplishment to me.
well that's it i guess. i love this forum, it is very informative and supportive, and i look forward to getting to know you all.