22y/o newbie!
 

Hi ladies and gents :) My name is Elizabeth, and guess what? I'm fat. That has always been the hardest thing for me to say, so I am going to start with it. As of today, September 16, 2010, I am 5'3 and 190. I would like to lose 70 pounds, but am going to approach things in "mini-goals," 10 pounds at a time!

I'm 22 years old, a college student majoring in Classics. I live at home and commute due to economics and living in a somewhat depressed area right now, with negative job prospects, and therein lies part of my problem. Not assigning blame - that's all on me - but being unable to buy one's own food is a difficult way to lose weight. But I do have healthier options here, so I can't make excuses. I haven't ever really had any one "wake up call." I am remarkably healthy for my weight, I have solid muscle and am not terribly easily fatigued, so I guess I want to nip this in the bud before it gets even worse. I struggle with anxiety and Mal de Debarquement, both of which make losing weight harder, yet I know once I do lose weight, and moreover, start eating healthier and exercising more, at least the anxiety will probably decrease. As of right now I am 100% off meds (:carrot:), managing naturally and with self coaching. So far, so good!

The worst thing about being fat is hating how clothes look on me, and knowing that this is the wrong way to start my relatively young life. What I look forward to most in my future is being a mom - from the time I was a little girl, it (aside from reading and caring for animals :) ) has been all I have ever wanted to do. I know in my heart that this body and my low self-esteem is not a healthy way to enter into a committed relationship, let alone motherhood, so I'm changing today! My motivation is my future!

I am going to be trying out a combination of "plans" but really just making lifestyle changes bit by bit. I don't believe in fad diets, I don't believe in guilt or obsessively weighing myself - for me, I think it has to be one change at a time for me to be successful.

I look forward to meeting some other gals like me, and here's wishing everyone luck in their goals!

Hi and welcome to 3FC.

Good luck with your goals.

Hugs
Michelle

Welcome, glad to have you join us. I suggest you look for a Support Group or Challenge to join; a small group of friends to help keep you motivated, find one that inspires you or fits your needs, and just post to join.

Welcome to 3FC!
I too am doing mini goals of 10 lbs. You will find a wealth of information and really nice people here to help you with your goals! Hope to hear of your goal successes! :)

Elizabeth,

Welcome! I've only been active here for a short while, but I've quickly developed a deep-seated affection for the site. You'll find a very supportive and motivating community here at 3fc.

I was really excited to see your post, as we're close in age and seem to have similar interests. I love animals and reading, and I just graduated with a degree in Classics in August! What drew you to Classics? I took Intro to Ancient Greek in my sophomore year on a whim, fell in love, and switched majors.

Good luck with your weight loss goals, and keep us posted! And I second patchworkpenguin's suggestion. Participating in the challenges really motivates me.