Hello, fellow chicks.
I joined this site some time ago, but fell off the fitness bandwagon (again) because I was juggling too many things and wasn't able to manage them all. However, this time, I'm hoping I can get into a good routine and actually see some results. So, I'm back again and starting over.
My re-introduction: I've been overweight for a while now and have put on about 45 pounds in my years in grad school -- days at the library, desk, or office might be exhausting and fulfilling, but they are also sedentary -- and I'm hoping to shed it for good this time. This involves unlearning unhealthy, bad habits about eating, negative attitudes about exercise, and generally motivating myself out of this slump.
I'm 32 and I live in Los Angeles. I'm finishing up graduate school this year (fingers crossed). I got married three months ago to my boyfriend of six years and we're happy; however, he's a bit of a fitness buff and I'm a bit of a fat blob at the moment, so I feel embarrassed of my body more than I did when I was living alone. He's supportive, but doesn't understand the struggle of having to lose weight because, thankfully for him, he's never had a difficult time with it. Teaching a class is a lot of work and trying to finish a dissertation is both a lot of work and a lot of stress; both factors keep me sitting down a lot of the time. While trying to make a home does tend to involve more activity, I'm finding it tough to make time to actually exercise enough. My main obstacles are: a fear of failing again, some serious body image and confidence issues, a feeling of isolation in the journey, a sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits, and a sweet tooth. I eat when I'm stressed out and that happens to be too often, I've discovered. So, that's part of what I'm working on.
My goal is to lose 20 pounds before New Years Day, which will be 1/3 the weight I ultimately want to lose, but I think I'll be happy if I can lose even 15 by then.
I'm looking forward to being part of the community.
Re-introductions.
Dhani 
