My name is Laura and I am living and working in Japan teaching English. I'm originally from upstate NY - Albany/Colonie to be exact (I saw someone from Ballston Spa!), and I'm in my third year in Japan. I'll be moving back to the US in the summer, where I imagine it will be astronomically difficult to maintain this semblance of a healthy lifestyle I have here.
I was pretty overweight in middle school and high school, though I never really thought about it. My highest weight was almost 170 lbs in 10th grade. I got depressed over a boy (who turned out to be gay - oh the irony) in 11th grade and lost my "baby fat" through reduced appetite. I maintained a modest appetite even after my heart healed, and graduated high school at 128 lbs - my lowest postpubescent weight to date.
College happened, and so did beer and lots of meals at weird twilight zone hours. I went on the birth control pill and my appetite skyrocketed. A traumatic incident involving scraping my forehead on a treadmill kept me out of the gym for the first year and a half or so. I read those stupid "thinspiration" websites and thought it would be wise to go to the gym twice a day every day of the week. That didn't last long, and the summer between second and third year of college, I got a summer office job at the State of New York. My new coworkers were overwhelmingly overweight and obese and there were delicious bagels at the cafeteria. I started smoking out of boredom and got addicted.
Then in the fall of my third year, I met my current boyfriend. He has a family history of alcoholism, which = SWEET TOOTH. We ate ice cream twice on our first date. That winter we took a trip to LA together and brought a plastic bowl and a few big bags of candy and called it the "candy bowl." It was always filled. Between the candy bowl and In-N-Out Burger, we easily gained 5 lbs apiece on that trip. We went out to eat often and of course there was always room for cookies and brownies. Getting comfortable around a significant other is a pretty good way to kill motivation to lose/maintain weight.
Blah blah, graduated college at about 150 lbs and moved to Japan shortly thereafter. I did what lots of foreign chicks do here and thought "Japanese women are thin and they eat rice all the time, I can do that too!" I packed on a few more pounds, nothing extreme, and maintained. Made a couple half-assed dieting attempts, but the lure of fried pork cutlets on a big bed of white rice was too great. I stayed around 70 kg for a year and three-quarters. And then one March 2010 weekend after a particularly brutal round of beef-grilling BBQ parties (always with beer), I saw 72 kg in the mid-afternoon. 158 lbs. That's what I weighed in the "before" pictures that made people laugh at parties. Granted I was older this time around so I gained more gracefully, but at my height with my bone structure 72 kg was not a healthy or attractive weight...
So I halved my daily calorie intake and started running. I've NEVER been a runner and I doubt I ever will be, but I am still damned proud of teaching myself to run. The first time I went out I was huffing and puffing after 60 seconds of movement, and I felt death clenching my chest from the smoking. After a summer trip back to the US where I spent $10 per pack on Camel Lights (not even that good!), I decided it wasn't worth it and quit smoking cold turkey. I developed a crippling addiction to vegetables of all things and cooked more at home. And the weight came off!
I weighed 61.0 kg/134 lbs when I weighed myself this morning and now my BMI is 22.5 or thereabouts. I'm not done yet, but I'm getting there! I joined this forum because I am really excited about becoming part of what seems like a cool community of smart and shrinking ladies who support each other.
I've attached some before and after pictures. The first 2 are from 2000 and 2004 respectively (I'm the pale middle one in the group shot), and the second 2 are from March and this past Monday of this year.
"cool community of smart and shrinking ladies who support each other."- I dig that and yes, it's true. The folk in this community are incredibly supportive, they will cheer you on the whole way and give you whatever advice and insight they can- stick around, I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
Congratulations on your loss so far, big change and you look fabulous. I enjoyed reading your story and I look forward to reading about your progress to 128! Btw, you're beautiful. You and I are very close as far as current and long term goal- I'm at 136.3 right now and have a goal of 125. I think it's awesome that you took up running, it's an amazing workout and a sure fire way to drop lbs!
I should add that I'm absolutely green with envy that you are living in Japan! I may be moving there in a few years (Fiance is in the military). I have friends who live in Sasebo and they rave about how wonderful life is there, the scenery, the culture and the food.
Anyway, welcome aboard!!!
Last edited by bananapancakes; 09-30-2010 at 07:38 AM.
"cool community of smart and shrinking ladies who support each other."- I dig that and yes, it's true. The folk in this community are incredibly supportive, they will cheer you on the whole way and give you whatever advice and insight they can- stick around, I'm sure you will not be disappointed.
Congratulations on your loss so far, big change and you look fabulous. I enjoyed reading your story and I look forward to reading about your progress to 128! Btw, you're beautiful. You and I are very close as far as current and long term goal- I'm at 136.3 right now and have a goal of 125. I think it's awesome that you took up running, it's an amazing workout and a sure fire way to drop lbs!
I should add that I'm absolutely green with envy that you are living in Japan! I may be moving there in a few years (Fiance is in the military). I have friends who live in Sasebo and they rave about how wonderful life is there, the scenery, the culture and the food.
Anyway, welcome aboard!!!
Awww shucks! Yeah, this is way different than other online communities I've checked out - everyone seems so smart and sharp.
I've spent some time in Sasebo. We like to go out drinking and dancing at Navy bars when we're homesick. It's the only place in Kyushu where I can find gigantic hamburgers and Tex-Mex food loaded with grease and cheese that tastes like the real thing, and it's right on the sea. Lovely place to be stationed - hope you end up there!
Chasing the dragon, so to speak...
You and I are very close as far as current and long term goal- I'm at 136.3 right now and have a goal of 125. I think it's awesome that you took up running, it's an amazing workout and a sure fire way to drop lbs!
Dhani 
