Hey all!

I'm a 24 year old living in Massachusetts. I'm in my 3rd year of law school, and it has not been good to me. In college, I was much more fit, jogging 3-6 miles 5 times/week in the warm climate of Georgia. But when I came up to Massachusetts, the stress of law school and the horrible weather threw me off the bandwagon. Now I'm trying to hop back on. I've been going to aerobic and yoga classes at the gym for about 3 weeks now and am starting to see great results! I actually have a pretty good metabolism if I work out on a regular basis. I know this makes me lucky and that it really means I should stick with my exercise program. I'm currently trying to find a long-term job for next year, which is super stressful, especially given the economy, and winter is coming here in Boston, so I'm worried about those things letting me slip back into bad habits. Hopefully with some willpower and y'all's support , I'll be on my way to and a fit, amazing me before I know it!

Thanks!

Hi from Maine!!

I hear ya about the weather. I am 26 y/o, about your height and right now about your weight, so it seems like we are at very similar places! The winter in Maine last year totally did me in....I had no activity for 3 months, and just went off plan completely from November through January!!! I gained back quite a bit.

This year I am planning ahead...winter's not going to get me this time! I am planning to get an inexpensive pair of snowshoes and some winter outerwear so I can go outside and run around. Even if it's walking up and down my driveway in the snow with my dog, I want to get outside and play this winter! Also, I discovered some snow-tubing parks right around where I live....that sounds like the funnest thing ever! And it would be good activity. I also have bought my favorite workout dvd (Biggest Loser), which I rented on Netflix and used it for a month before I finally sent it back so I could get another movie! That way I have something to do indoors when the weather is just too icky outside.

Also, I am sticking as close to the plan as possible in these months leading up to winter, so that in case of occasional slipups over the holidays, I will have lost enough weight this fall that it won't set me back quite as much as it did last year in the winter.

My best advice for dealing with a New England winter while sticking to a weight loss plan is to plan ahead! Find things you like to do indoors, as well as some outdoors activities. Keep those ideas handy for when you're starting to think "Gee, maybe I don't need to work out today...I don't feel like it." That's what hit me in the dead of winter last year, but this year I will be prepared with some fun (and sometimes silly!) things to do for exercise both indoors and out.

And my hope is that planning ahead like this will be an investment that will make me think twice about indulging in all those delicious winter comfort foods that are usually loaded with fat (or my favorite---cheese!).

Welcome aboard, look forward to seeing you around the forums!

Welcome to 3FC!

My best advice for you is: don't get married and have kids. I'm joking, but seriously, you sound so much like me around that age. I was in college, running five or six days a week, and I had this incredible metabolism that meant I could pretty much eat a house while staying slim. 20 years on, I'm a chunky, SAHM with a MAJOR metabolism problem.

Leela's idea are great. It's difficult adjusting to a different climate, but I'll bet you can find things you like to do indoors and out.

I still run fairly regularly (only indoors, because, ummm, the weather here makes me crazy), and my husband and I have recently started playing badminton indoors. We're having so much fun, and burning a ton of calories!
What about skating? (something I personally despise) Cross-country skiing? Tobogganing!

Best wishes with the job hunt and with the new fit you!

Hey there!

You're fortunate, so that's excellent...good metabolisms really are hard to come by. So now you start looking at workout options that can carry you through winter and beyond. Ideally, you'd find yourself a new hobby...rock climbing walls? ice skating rinks? A combination of all kinds of fun winter activities? Snowshoeing burns a ton of calories.

Stick around - you'll find lots of ideas here on how to integrate exercise into your everyday life, no matter what the season.

Welcome to 3FC. Use that high metabolism to your advantage while you can. Some of us would kill for it...lol..good luck in your journey.