hi everybody,
so here's my deal. in the last year i've gained almost 20 lbs. i quit smoking so there was a combination of my metabolism slowing dramatically and me not really caring because, hey, i had quit smoking! but now it's been a year since i've quit and instead of feeling great i feel terrible because of all this weight i've gained. i have a really small frame and am just shy of 5'1, so 20 lbs really shows.

i get discouraged for a number of reasons. firstly, with all the weight i've gained i weigh 125 lbs.so a lot of people in my life don't understand why i'm unhappy with that weight since the actual number is fairly small. but it sucks. it's the upper end of 'normal' in the bmi scale, but it's this constant gain that hasn't stopped. so if i keep going at this rate, it will become a much bigger problem. but for me it already is. i don't fit into my clothes, am absolutley spilling out everywhere. my self-esteem has plummetted. i'll catch glimpses of myself in a window reflection and it takes me a minute to recognize it as myself. like i've somehow stepped into this whole other body.

i also get discouraged at how hard it is for me to lose, and how easy to gain! case in point: at 1500 cals/ day with moderate exercise, i will still gain weight. both in lbs and measurements. i guess it's due to having such a small frame, but i find it hard.

anyways, i'm sorry for all the rambling. i'm really excited to be on here and taking charge of my situation. i was looking for any kind of advice anyone has about how i should go about doing this!

Welcome! You didn't ramble at all!

Please, come and join us in our chat thread. We're glad you're here.

jiggles -- glad to see you are here and have joined the Featherweights thread!

I can so relate to your post! I gained 20 lbs last year too after a very difficult period of my life and at 5'2" -- I completely agree it really shows! I'm quite a bit heavier than you, but everyone has a different build. I started my weight loss journey in July and now I'm down 10 lbs! It is so great!

I eat only 1350 calories or less and I exercise every day -- still I lose less than 1 lbs a week but it adds up! So far it has taken me 12 weeks to lose 10 lbs. If you want to slim down, please keep at it. It will be slow but so worth it!

Hey jiggles! Welcome!! So I started my weight loss journey on August 2nd after a really bad break up. I gained about 15 pounds over the course of the relationship, but I was in a happy comfortable relationship with some I loved who told me I was beautiful no matter what. When we broke up I finaly saw what that relationship had done to my body.

I started working out and counting calories. I started seeing a trainer as well, and she gave me some great advice that sounds really weird and bad for weightloss, but I am now 25 pounds lighter, so what she told me had merit.

The things she told me that have changed my eating habits and my body:
1. Eat a lot of protein
2. Eat foods that are high in good fats (which goes against what you hear most of the time. I have always heard to eat low fat when trying to lose weight). She told me to trust her and explained to me that if you change the amount of calories you consume by a lot it changes your body's chemistry. Your body is a machine that is designed to adjust. When you cut out a lot of fat your body hoards the fat that you already have because it thinks it needs it. When you are eating foods high in good fats your body burns the fat you have that is already stored.
3. Good carbs like whole grains are okay but to cut out refined carbs and processed foods.
4. To never ever eat below 1200 calories
5. And if you cut your calories significantly for weightloss to eat 1500-1800 calories every third day or so, so your body doesn't get used to 1200 calories a day and adjust itself to survive and maintain itself on that.
6. Add some strength training and resistence training to your work out plan if you can.

I'm sure a lot of this stuff you ready knew, but it honestly changed my life. I no longer crave sweets or other high calorie foods. Honestly now, my only vice is drinking. But I have lost about 25 lbs in about 12 weeks, and I have done it in a healthy way. I'm down to 136, and I'm around 5'1 also, but I am rely muscular, and I don't think my body has ever looked better. I hope some of this has helped you, and best of luck with your weight loss.

wow, thank you guys so much for your responses!

jayjay77 - it sounds like you can relate. congratulations losing the ten lbs! i'll try to lose weight and then give up after a couple of weeks with no results because i love eating and hate dieting and expect that when i'm suffering so much something should be happening. haha. but this time around i really want to stick with it. if i don't do anything about it 12 weeks will still come around, but if i do, 12 weeks could come around with me being 10 lbs lighter!(like you!) do you follow a certain diet to stick with your 1350 calories or just eat whatever you want in that limit?

LeiLah913- you're right, i have heard a bunch of that before, but it means a lot more to me when hearing it from someone who's lost 25 lbs! that's so great. i'm afraid my journey will be a lot slower than that, but i'm trying to be ok with it. i especially like your tip about eating more calories every third day; that's something i've definitely never tried before.

tomorrow i start dieting and exercising and i'm glad i'm on here and will no longer have to take my dieting woes out my boyfriend. (it's like i have permanent pms for the entire length of my diet, whenever i try...)

Welcome.

Could you post a typical day's menu and exercise?