Here I am, saying hello from the start, lest I fall into the trap of reading what everyone else has to say, and not speaking up myself. If I don't speak up, I can't be held accountable, but then again, if I don't speak up, I can't be held accountable...
So, I'm Rachel, just 2 months shy of my 30th birthday, and weighing far too much for my liking. I'm 5"4, and weigh 87kg, which in imperial measures is about 192lb/13.5 stone, and in bmi is about 32.
Hopefully I will be able to make at least a bit of a difference by the time my birthday comes along in October, and get some support here to keep it up until I'm back to my thinner and healthier self.
Thanks for all your welcomes.
Yes, I am taking it one day at a time, but I still need at least some goals, otherwise I won't have a record of how I'm doing.
I know that my weight gain is rooted in three main areas - portion size, snacking and lack of exercise. I don't eat incredibly fattening foods, I just eat too much of everything, and I do hardly any exercise.
In the past I have successfully lost weight by dealing with these three things, rather than having allowed foods and not allowed foods, and that's what I'm going to do this time. What is hard for me is getting motivated to exercise, and I'm not active in my normal day life (daily drive to a seated office job...)
As for goals, I am hoping to get down to 80kg for my birthday (in 8 weeks - October 6th), which is a little under 1kg per week. Does that sound underambitious? I just want to be cautious of setting something too optimistic, then crashing if I can't make it work. Is an 8-week goal too soon? Too far?
It is not under-ambitious at all to want to lose a kilogram a week. It may take longer to lose a kilo. You may end up only losing half a kilo a week. But if that happens, you will still lose 4 kilograms by then, which is also excellent!
It all depends on the amount of exercise you will get in and the amount of calories you will consume.
It is good to snack often. It boosts your metabolism and helps you to stay fuller for longer. The trick however is to snack on healthy snacks and to stick to small snacks. Here are some of my favorite snacks I snack on often: nuts, fruit, veggie sticks (carrots, celery and such), fat free yogurt (one small tub) and one small health rusk.
Measure your food to make sure that you stick to the right portion sizes. If you want to lose weight, include healthy carbs, lean protein, healthy fats and lots of fruits and veggies in your diet.
In general, it is very difficult to be motivated to exercise. But I've found that if you just start exercising and you do it for a few times, it becomes easier and you start to like it more. That usually helps me to become motivated - just to go to the gym or to exercise. What also works for me is to go to the gym first thing in the morning - that way I' sure that I will exercise for the day.
Good luck and please let me know if my tips worked for you (They work for me).
Lest I Lurk
Glad you spoke up and introduced yourself. Have you set goals and stuff yet, or are you just taking it one day at a time?
Dhani 
