[JM1911A1]

(TL;DR - Hi, I'm Jess, I'm 21 and I'm trying to change my habits. Hoping to lose 25kgs (55 lbs) within the next year, and would love some hints for portion control, vegetarian recipes (without mushroom or eggplant), more fresh fruit innovations and some tips on fun exercise activities! Look forward to sharing what I know with you all an getting help in return! Cheers <3)

Hi all,

My name's Jessica, I've just turned 21 and I'm from the big boiling country we call Australia. We're super fond of and have a lot of big things down here, and I've come to the conclusion I don't want that to include me any more. So, as part of my plan to make my last year of study and my first year as a 'legal to do all the things, everywhere in the world' plan, I'm trying for the very very first time in my life to lose weight and get fit. (I did join a gym with my mother at fifteen, but that was more to keep her company.)

I've been a vegetarian for just about three years now, which has actually helped me keep a fair bit of the 'Freshman Five' (as we call it here, messing with both the American terms and our own lbs to kgs conversions) but I've plateau'd around the 105kgs (231 lbs for those who don't use metri) mark over the last two years, and while that hasn't been bothering me, I've begun to want to take a serious look at my health, my weight and just how good I feel about myself - and to get into some good habits while I'm young.

So, while the rest of my family are actually on diets, they're not very helpful to me at all and I have been getting little support - my hour long conversation with my mother (who I am really proud of and who has lost 10kgs (22 lbs) in the last three months - woo! Go Mum!) has done nothing in terms of the sizes of food I have been being given and the type of food I am being dished out; my father is a stick insect and has never had to diet or be concerned with food in his life and as such is mocking my attempts to change (gee, thanks there); my sister is already a very respectable and healthy weight, health level and very pretty and yet is losing weight (in what I believe to be a dangerous method and I have spoken to her about it) is truly unhelpful; and my other sister who is much the same but is more helpful than the rest - so I figured I would join with like-minded women and maybe get some helpful hints on how to target the types of things I want to, and to just get that support which I have (almost stalker like, I apologise) seen in the community in past.

Back to what I am trying to achieve. I'm starting at around the 105kgs (230lbs) range, and hope within the year to lose a minimum of 20kgs (45 lbs), aiming to lose 25kgs (55 lbs) and at most lose 30 kgs (67 lbs). (I am 5"9/173cms for those playing at home.) I've already started changing my food intake to a more French inspired spacing of food - a large morning meal, medium lunch time portion and then a smaller dinner, as well as cutting right down on my daily snacking and what types of food I snack on. I'd love if people could help me with some more innovative ways of bringing more fresh vegetables (minus mushrooms and eggplants as I actually have an allergic reaction to them - which sorely disrupts my ability to find good recipes for me as a vegetarian), fresh fruit and more unprocessed foods into my diet - I love food, I'm just learning to cook for myself and any help with portion control and things like that would be great!
I'm also about to move out to the country, and while I will be on a small farm like sized plot and will be able to go out and do some exercise like being in (a rather bad part of) the city hasn't afforded me to start yet, I'd love some suggestions on how to make such a thing fun, enjoyable and not make me loathe every second of it. I love dancing but barely have the room or the privacy, and I have always been fond of things like bike riding; so any suggestions of work out routines and such would be super helpful. (I'm mostly trying to target my stomach, legs and arms in terms of work outs, though really I don't mind where. I do have a rather large chest which gets in the way a lot and with a lot of jumpy-activities, so I try to steer clear given the back problems it gives me, but I'll push through in my hope to get healthy!)

I like comic books, I am a big fan of some very 'bad' television shows and some really not so bad (Supernatural, True Blood, Game Of Thrones, Sons of Anarchy, Mad Men, Toddlers & Tiaras, My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, practically any wedding show there is, and the food networks), I love to read and to write; and I am not much of a sunbunny which could probably use some help.

How about you guys? What do you guys like? How are you going with your goals? What was with that crazy guys pants yesterday?
Can't wait to get talking to you guys!

- Jessica

[Misti in Seattle]

Hi Jessica

Just wanted to say -- good idea to make it fun. There are a lot of threads here on some of the things you mentioned. I would encourage you to explore the forum a bit and jump right into the threads you think would interest you. This is a very friendly place.