i'm in college too, and it certainly IS a challenge. i'm living with 2 roommates: a super skinny girl and my boyfriend, who is quite skinny also. argh.

i've been doing pretty good -- 19 pounds in these last 3 months. and i know i can keep it up! =)

(i'd love to have buddies, so message me or add me to your buddy list!!)

Holly- Wow! 19 pounds in 3 months is not bad at all! I;ve not been having a good time of things lately at all, and I'd love a buddy too Feel free to add me to your buddy list or message!

Cat

Hey everyone! I'm new to this......as a little background info, I'm a senior in college, graduating in May & then moving to Chicago to start my new job.

When I graduated high school, I was about 125-128 lbs (I'm 5'3") and I was okay with that, but I wanted to avoid putting on any more weight (aka the Freshman 15!). So when I started college, I watched myself like a hawk.....no breakfast (had mostly late classes anyway), salads & veggie sandwiches for lunch and dinner, healthy snacks in the room, no late night eating, and the biggie for me....no more Cokes!! (made the switch to diet). By November of my freshmen year I weighed 115 lbs, the smallest I could ever remember being, and I was wearing size 4 or 5 pants and small or extra small tops depending on the store. (I'm kind of big-boned regardless of my weight and don't think I could ever fit into a smaller size than that!)

Before spring semester of freshmen year started, I went through sorority rush, which is very competitive at my school, and it was an absolute nightmare for me. I started eating comfort foods......grilled cheese, mashed potatoes, caesar salads....I didn't care. The weight gradually started coming back.

Like I said, I'm a senior now and I weighed 138 lbs on Jan 1st (I've been watching myself since then...New Yrs Resolution). I'm now at 135.5 and I want to get back down to the 120ish area before graduation!

My first step is going to be CUTTING UP MY BUS PASS! Yeah I go to school up north and its cold and that's my excuse for not walking to class, but I need the exercise. I don't like going to the gym at my school because its a big social scene. Number two is NO MORE LATE NIGHT, POST-BAR EATING! I can devour a whole bag of breadsticks and cheese sauce from our fave pizza place w/the help of my skinny roomies! I go out to the bars 3 nights a week but I am not a real heavy drinker. I also find that if you know you are going out, eat a light dinner. You'll get buzzed on half the number of drinks it would take if you were full! Also a good drink to try, if you don't like beer, is Diet Coke and vodka w/a BIG queeze of lime.

I'd love to find some motivational buddies to chat with!

Good luck to all!

Valerie
138/135.5/120 or less!!!

Hey everyone,

I hear about post secondary education and getting fat...it definately happened to me. I think that in 1997 when I start school I was 170lbs I would guess...and in the 5 years I gained a whopping 65 or 70lbs....that's so unbelievable..and well gross. I ate bad caf food, too much pizza and drank too often. and I didn't really seem to care. school was hard on me...not to mentioned i was in a terrible relationship for 3 yrs...and i think i did drive thru for every other meal for those three years..well things are better in my life now and i have started to become athletic again....i was really active in highschool....i am playing tennis and field hockey...and its great...i lost about 10lbs over the summer months ...get this..with out trying..it was great..so i decided to join a gym and keep that feeling...

i was playing in the gym..and not working hard...and still eating alot of late night junk....so the end of oct 2002 i decided to get serious! that's it..i do not want to be fat anymore...so i am working hard...its been 12 weeks and i have lost 25-30lbs...not sure yet...going to weigh on sunday..my last day..and I feel amazing...

good luck to everyone who is trying to lose while in college...and good for you to recognize it before it gets out of hand....i wish did..

one_sweetchick

Hey everyone! My name is Heather and I am a 3rd year in a VA University... I have been having issues with weight since I was a little kid. I am actually doing about the best I have been for a long time- I am around 153-155 (sz 10-12)... my highest was 165 or so... last year. I have been on a bit of a pendulum swing since recovering from anorexia my junior/senior year of highschool. But I am feeling pretty good this year, everything is coming together and I have learned to appreciate my curves. However, I would love to don a bikini this summer, as I will be turning the big 2-1!! Let the *legal* partying begin... Anyway, yeah the bikini had little to do with turning 21, but you get the gist- I'd like to look really good for summer time. I used to do cross country and track, so I've started slowly working up the running time... more like very slowww jogging, but I have already seen improvements in just a few weeks. Plus I am trying to walk more and take the bus less. I love working with weights, so I aim for 3 times a week with that. Sometimes I have problems eating too much, but lately, I've been doing ok with that. Anyway, I would love to use this forum and you lovely ladies as motivation, and really just to keep me on track. I think that we all can reach our goals if we have enough support and inspiration! So, there's my intro, hopefully I will get to know each of you better through your posts, and we'll all make it to where we want to be. Personally, that would be a size 8, and 135-140 lbs, for my 5'3 frame. Have a great week- hope to hear from each of you soon -Heather

Hey Heather..thanks for posting...this forum doesn't get a lot of posts. What school do you go to? I go to JMU.

This next week is spring break, but I'll actually probably lose weight because I'm going to Northern California to visit family, and there's always a ton of fruits and veggies there, not the carb-heavy stuff that I always seem to eat because it's easy.

I thought I was losing weight, but I saw some pics of myself today (they were taken today, my roomate has a digital camera), and I looked pretty bad. Seeing bad pictures are discouraging and encouraging at the same time..they make me feel really bad about myself but motivate me at the same time.


How do you guys feel about seeing pics of yourself?

Seeing pictures of myself was actually what motivated me to start losing weight in the first place. I got a whole roll of film back from a wedding I went to - I couldn't even BELIEVE I had gained that much weight. The very first thing I saw in the pictures was my stomach sticking out and my flabby thighs and wide hips making my summer dress bunch up. That was a huge wake-up call.

It was really depressing and yet motivating at the same time. I got sad, but I got off my *** and did something about it. So I agree that while it's discouraging it is also motivating...

Hey Katie, I go to UVA-- we've been on springbreak for the past week and I have actually been so lazy and eaten so much, I am pretty sure I gained 5lbs. So in that respect I am looking forward to going back to school- I do ok at school b/c I don't have a meal plan, and I allow myself to buy only healthy stuff at the grocery store.
I love having my picture taken- I mean, I love them if I look good, but like you and starrybay mentioned, they are good indicators of how well/badly I look, so it keeps me motivated to eat better. Its great b/c its a way to see myself the way other people see me, esp if its a candid shot...
I have a problem that whenever I get stressed out, over school or friends or guys, I tend to eat/binge as a response. Does anyone else have this reaction, or ways of AVOIDING this?! I'd really like to try a different method of stress relief- suggestions?

If this forum doesn't get a lot of posts- are there others that you guys are in that are fairly active? Anyway, have a great spring break Katie, god knows I needed this past week to get away from the papers and exams.... but its back to work on monday Thanks again for replying! -Heather

The 20 somethings forum is pretty active. We have a montly challenge where we do most of our posting. With spring break and all this month will be a bit slower..

I invite all you guys to join our march challenge!

As for seeing pics of myself.. I really hate it. I mean I have lost quite a bit of weight, but I am still not to the point where I enjoy looking in mirrors and pictures. I think thats because.. even with dramatic weight loss.. you still have to bring your self esteem up.. and that could take longer than it takes to lose the weight.

HI. I can totally relate to this. I am also in college and always to busy to take care of my weight which in turn has made my health plumit. I am in a somewhat different situation then you in that I am married and live with my husband, but regardless there is little support in college to lose weight. I hate going to my schools gym b.c. it seems to be more of a meat market than a workout "adventure". Everyone there is incredibally skinny and I feel stared at when I walk in there. Just know you are not alone. Good luck!