[Leigh1986]

Hello all!

I signed up for this board a little while ago, and have decided to come out of the shadows I have never tried anything like this, but I’m hoping that this can help motivate me to lose the proverbial “last 20 pounds.”

I know that I don’t have a huge hill to climb, but I’ve always weighed a bit more than my optimum weight, always lacked confidence in my appearance and have never managed to reach my goals. I know that weight loss isn’t the secret to happiness, but I do hope that feeling prouder of my body will bring me out of my shell a bit.

I reached my highest weight of 165 last winter, but managed to lose 20 pounds last spring/summer (I was lucky enough to be living in Ireland and loved taking long scenic walks). That felt great. But since then, I have come back to Canada, started graduate school, and watched the scale begin to climb back up.

I know excuses are meaningless- but I find it hard to exercise when I constantly have work to do (in grad school, you can never do enough reading!). It is also easy to head for the vending machine during late night study sessions. I'm a picky eater, not a fan of most vegetables, and I love baking.

I also realize that my other huge vice is alcohol...my hobby is playing music in Irish pubs, and beer is almost always involved. It’s so hard to say no.

I've been pretty good for the past two months and am back at my best/last summer weight of 145. But I've always wanted to get closer to 130 (or maybe even 125).

But I'm getting worried again, now that the most stressful year of my PhD is around the corner. How can I stay focused!?

I know that I need to find a way to balance life, fun, school, and healthier living—and I hope that all of you lovely people have some creative suggestions for me.

Cheers!
Leigh