Hello to all! I am new here!
Hello, everyone! I am new to this site. I was looking for support and advice from other trying to lose weight as well. I guess I will begin by telling you all a little about myself. I am going to be brutally honest because I want real advice and support! I am 23 years old and I just recently started having weight problems. I have pretty much been very petite all my life and gained some weight while in college. I guess you could say I did not have a very beneficial lifestyle (physically). I used to smoke, drink, and eat whatever I wanted. After college all that caught up with me. I quit smoking and gained some weight. I took a month off after I graduated college and did pretty much nothing but eat and drink and party. Smart, huh? Well, I went from weighing 115 to 130 lbs. I don't know how many of you gals are 4'11", but when you weight that much being so small, it is very evident. I have had to deal with constant ridicule from my family, friends, and my boyfriend's family. They never said anything "mean" but always those off-hand remarks meant to make you motivated to lose weight but always hurting your feelings. During college, I was the aspiring actress and model. I was in fairly good shape (for not taking care of my body.) I still have those dreams, but feel I cannot have the career that I want being unhealthy and overweight. For a while, I was eating healthy and not seeing any change in my weight. I realized that drinking had a lot to do with it. If I had a glass or two of wine with dinner every night...that is around 300 calories! That is like eating a BIG MAC after dinner every night! It took me a while to realize that the weight I was losing by eating well was being put all back on by drinking those calories in! I had to really take a step back and realize that if I really wanted to lose weight and get healthy again, then I had to wise up. I realized that I was going to have to make some serious changes in my lifestyle to lose the 30 pounds I wanted to. For me, that was very hard because we go out socially a lot and all of our friends drink. It is very hard to say no and deprive yourself when everyone else isn't. BUT, I have been doing very well. I just keep repeating to myself anytime I want a beer or glass of wine..."which do you want more? To be skinny and healthy or to have that drink?" I also had to realize that drinking does not = fun. In college, my friends and I would go out every weekend and drink and sometimes more than just the weekend. So that quickly became a habit and was very hard to break after college. In some ways, I think this weight gain has been a savior for me. I know that sounds weird, but if I didn't put on weight then I would never have had to realize where my life needed change and maturity. So as of now, I am not drinking, not smoking, working out 6 days a week, and keeping my goal always in mind 24 hours a day. My mother called me new year's day and challenged me. She wants to lose 30 lbs as well. She said if I lose more weight than her in 5 months then she would take me on $500 shopping spree for a whole new wardrobe. But, if she lost more weight than I, I had to give her a $200 shopping spree. Sound like motivation? Well, IT WAS!!! So, I have been eating well (low calorie,low fat, low carb foods) and excercising pretty much everyday! My goal is to lose 30 lbs by the beginning of June. I hope this is realistic. Any advice on how I can do this let me know! I know some people may think that 30 lbs. is too much weight to lose but I have done a lot of research on a healthy weight for someone with my frame and height and I don't want to be anything but healthy. I am determined to do this the right way. I am on this site to hopefully gain motivation and support from all of you and maybe even help someone else just by sharing my story. Thank you all for listening and I am glad to be here!
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