[MamieGrace]

Hi Everyone!
I'm excited to be here. I'm a 28 year old teacher. I was a chubby kid (stress eater) but I thinned out in my teens. I was pretty fit in high school and middle school, but then starting in my early 20's I got much more sedentary and went crazy for sugar and I put on over forty pounds.

I slowly put on weight throughout my 20's until I hit my all time high weight of 178 lbs at the end of 2011. Feeling sluggish and ready to make a change, I started working out with a trainer twice a week last fall. I have achieved my initial goal of more energy and I have gotten stronger. My weight, however, has stayed pretty stable, so now I'm trying to focus on diet and exercise.

Beginning this month (April) I started trying to keep to an average of 1500-1600 calories a day, and my goal is 300 minutes of exercise per week. So far I am losing about a pound a week! I was disappointed at first (hoping for 2lbs per week loss) but today I made a chart and realized that if I can keep this rate going, I can reach my goal weight by the end of 2012!!!

Right now my ultimate goal weight is 143, but my main goal is fitness. I am on week two of the Couch-to-5k running plan and LOVING IT! I hope to run a 5k by the end of the summer. I am super into body positivity, healthy eating, vegan and vegetarian cooking (I love plant-based whole foods!) and, of course, fitness!

I love to watch episodes of "I used to be Fat" on MTV's website for motivation and inspiration. Since I'm a teacher, I've decided not to teach summer school this summer. Instead, I'm going to make working out and losing weight my #1 priority. (Obviously, I don't have kids...) So the next few months are kind of a big deal for me. I'm making a big commitment and I really don't want to fail. I am hoping to find some people on a similar journey to check in with and share inspiration.

Thanks for reading, and I look forward to getting to know some of you!! (Sorry for being so long-winded!)

Mamie

[sunshauna]

Hi there. With your enthusiasm, you are sure to be successful!! Hope to see you here often!

[martha328]

Hey

Congrats on making the decision to becoming a healthier you! Remember that this is a big part of your life that will be changing, but once you overcome it and are successful you can look back and be proud of your accomplishment!

[xJox]

Welcome Mamie! I love your attitude. Best of luck to you.

[chel3fsea]

Welcome Mamie!! Congrats on your initial loss and keep up the good work! I'm also located in Colorado right now, so it's good to see there are a couple of us 20-somethings here trying to lose weight (everyone is already to skinny here, omg!) Please feel free to message me if you need any advice!

[MamieGrace]

Thanks for the support, everyone! I look forward to getting to know some of you!!