[chwistine]

hi chicas! my namy is chris and i am from the philippines. i've been searching the internet for support groups because i really want to lose weight now that i'm turning 21 before the year ends.

i am a student at the country's premier university and have always excelled in most of the things i venture into. my mom says i'm beauty and brains, butr she wishes i'd also have the body too.

i'm 5'4" and i weigh in at 210lbs. i have always felt healthy but i knew i was fat (of course, because of the difficulty in shopping for clothes!). the difficult thing about it is that i live in a country where most of the women are petite... so i stand out as a fat girl even more. i told myself i needed to get serious once i reached the 200lbs. mark. and i have now.

please, please help me achieve my goal. i want to lose around 60lbs so that i can feel better about myself -- and not give the excuse that being smart more than makes up for my being fat.

i know all you girls here can help me. any suggestions on how i can start losing?

[dinamichele]

Welcome

Are you following any particular plan? I've been counting calories and exercising. I'm also trying to keep my diet high protein, low fat and low carb.
Good luck to you.

[chwistine]

hi dinamichele!

actually, the thing is, there's no particular plan. i'm just thinking of cutting back by food intake. i admit i'm a meal skipper. but with so much schoolwork (i'm graduating) i find it hard to normalize my schedule and stick it out with one REAL plan...

whaddya think?

[Nadine from Germany]

Hey Chris,
I am quite new myself, but I have experienced some of the same things.
I used to make excuses and tried to convince myself that the weight does not matter since I achieved all the things I wanted to (academically and professionally) the way I was.
But the real reason I weigh too much is that I never managed to lose weight and keep it off (hey, I like food)
Now that I have my degree and will start applying for a job, I have forced myself to confront the fact that most people underestimated me and I had to convince them because they cannot see beyond the chubby girl.
I (re)started Weight Watchers a week ago and I am extremely motivated. I want to surprise my family when I return to Germany in June.
So far, I have no trouble sticking to the plan because it is so flexible. You can basically eat whatever you crave as long as you stick to your point. I end up eating lots of fruit and vegetables, just because they have less points so you get more of them.
I also exercise as often as I can. I graduated last year and one thing I did while I was studying was to buy one of thos stationary fitness bikes and put it in front of the TV. I only allowed myself to watch tv when I was on the bike.
I also started dieting together with two friends and we really keep each other motivated.
Today is the first time I am going to weigh myself since starting the program, so wish me luck.

Nadine

[chwistine]

wow! good luck to you! looks like we have very similar situations

the problem is, we don't have weight watchers here in the philippines as i've mentioned, many Filipinas are petite... it's a genetic thing, i think. gyms here are also infested with already-slim people which only makes it hard -- you muster up the courage and then you feel insecure seeing all their lithe bodies. you wonder what they're doing on those exercise machines.

anyway, i will try to get more info on weight watchers on the internet.

hope your weighing-in went well!

[Nadine from Germany]

Hi Chris,
thanks for your reply.
The weigh-in went really well (I use the scale at the gym here at work because I don't trust the one I have at home.) I lost about 4 pounds in the first week. I know it won't continue that way, but it really helps to keep me motivated. If you don't find enough information on the internet, I could try to explain the WW system to you, if you want. Just send me an e-mail: [email protected]
I used to hate gyms as well because all the slim people there do the everybody-stop-and-stare. I can't imagine how it must be in a country where the majority of people is very slim. Another plus for me is that I can use the Gym at work which means that there are hardly any of those hard core fitness types and more 'normal' people. I joined a gym in Germany once and just ignored the stares. It was pretty hard in the beginning, but I got used to it and they got used to me.
I also started walking with a friend which was fun and burns a lot of calories. (Though I have to admit that I but on a hat the first couple of times because it does look a little stupid when you're walking around and swinging your arms. It's way better than running though because it does not put so much strain on the joints. I am looking forward to the spring to be able to exercise outside again.
Good luck to you and let me know if I can help you in any way.

Nadine

[chwistine]

wow! thanks for the offer nadine. i will be sending you that email right now.

and congratulations on the weigh-in!

[PiXiEgAL]

hey chris! i'm from the philippines too! btw ... name's chloe ... 20 y.o. and i weigh 192 lbs. hope we can be friends.