I ran across this forum late last night looking for advice, and you all seem pretty nice so I thought I would join. I've read through the forum a little bit, and it's really given me some perspective. I'm looking to lose between 30-40 pounds (or at least lose a few inches), and I thought that would be difficult, but I see that there are people here that have already lost up to 150 pounds. It makes my problems seem petty and silly. :P

So I'm 22 years old, and I recently moved to California with my boyfriend who is in the Air Force. Before I moved I would run on the ellipticals at my University for an hour per night. I lost about 10 pounds over the entire semester. It was frustrating because I felt 10 pounds isn't much to lose in four months. I don't know much about proper dieting and exercising, and I don't want to get into fad diets because I worry it would do more harm than good.

I am 5'6" and I have been this tall since about the 8th grade. Throughout high school I was in track and was very healthy. I was the fastest female runner at my school. I had a very petite build, but I wasn't underweight. I was about 120 pounds. I had abs and everything. But once college began, I moved into the dorms that had buffet style meals twice a day, and I developed poor eating habits. I was also put on a kind of birth control called Depo Provera, which I blame for much of my weight gain. The heaviest I've been was 165.

It's really shocking to me how much 45 pounds can make a difference. I look very different than I did in high school. My face is much rounder, and I have a slight double-chin. My arms around my triceps have become a little chubby, and the worst part, my muffin top, is comically huge compared to the rest of my body (especially my waist, which is still small somehow). I guess that's the best way to put it. I'm not quite "fat" but my body looks disproportionate from all the weight I've gained.

I haven't been very active since I moved out here in January because I haven't been able to find a job and I don't know where to go to exercise for free. I would go jogging but I live in a sketchy neighborhood, and no one wants to go jogging with me so I'm not alone. Worst part: I don't have a scale! So right now I don't even know how much I weigh, and frankly, I'm scared to check! I guess I sound silly. It must look like I'm making up a bunch of excuses not to exercise. I guess I need some encouragement. I've convinced my boyfriend that when our lease is up, that we *must* move into an apartment complex with a gym.

Lately I have been eating healthier, though. When I snack, instead of eating ice cream or a whole burrito (or two), I've switched to nuts, pineapple chunks, or a slice of toast. I've also been trying to include more fiber in my diet so I have an easier time passing waste (I've had problems with constipation my whole life). And drinking lots of water seems to make a big difference, too. Some days I feel thinner, and some days I feel like I've possibly gained some weight. I have no way to tell without a scale, though.

Well, this is probably the longest introduction in the world. I'm sorry if this isn't the place to post my life story. Dx It feels great getting it off my chest where people won't roll their eyes at me and say "You look fine."

Hi Ellie! I'm new too, and I think we've both come to the right place...so far the people I've encountered here have been very supportive and motivational. I completely hear you about poor eating habits in university cafeterias :P There's a 20 something group here, so definitely make your presence known there! Good luck with your weight loss journey! I hope it's really rewarding.

Thank you! I'm very happy to find a place where there are all sorts of people, including people like me! I hope to learn a lot by posting here.

Welcome to the site! It's kind of funny(in an odd way) that we're the same height and I'm like 100 lbs heavier than you but this site is wonderful and it doesn't matter if it's 100lbs or 30-40lbs that are wanted gone, the support given is just the same I have to say Depo is a pain on the weight issue (I gained 10-15 on it and I'm struggling more with trying to lose weight now I'm on it).

So, anyways, welcome to the site and best of luck! We're glad to have you here (not that we're glad you need to be here or anything...just it's nice to have a new friendly face...I'm rambling sorry lol)

Welcome, Visual! It's nice to have you here.

First, just because you have less you'd like to lose than others might doesn't mean that your challenges are petty or silly; far from it!

I *still* don't know as much as I would like about diet and exercise, but I can tell you that there are lots of ways to lose weight in a healthy manner without "fad diets". Exercise is essential for overall health, and can improve the rate at which you lose weight for a couple of reasons (exercise burns calories, and greater muscle mass means your body burns more calories), but your food intake is 75% of the game. The central tenet when it comes to weight loss is calories in vs. calories out. If your body needs more calories to function than you consume on a daily basis, you will lose weight. That's what it all boils down to.

I am a calorie counter, which means that rather than a specific diet where I limit certain items or foods, I pretty much eat what I want but track every single calorie that I consume and keep those calories within a target range (some use an exact number) every day. That's far from the only way to diet, but it is a pretty easy way to get started (even after 3 months of this, I still don't even use an online tracking program - I just keep track of everything in Excel). Eating "pretty much what I want" but within a specific calorie range can mean crummy rather than nutritious food (for the most part, a calorie is a calorie is a calorie), but when you restrict calories you very quickly find that you can eat a lot more, not be hungry, and have a lot more energy when those calories come from nutrient-rich foods.

I just posted this elsewhere, and it might be helpful for you. This calculator gives an indication of how many calories you should aim to consume daily based on your height, age, weight, and the amount of exercise you do. It can be useful for targetting your food intake, and also for motivation for exercise whe you see the difference in how many calories you can consume when you increase your exercise!
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/heal...e-calories-bmr

On the exercise front, I hear you about living in a sketchy neighborhood. I'm comfortable going out for walks alone during daylight hours in my neighborhood, but I wouldn't go after dark alone. And since late evening (9 or 10pm) is the only time I have available to exercise on weekdays, that means a gym is a necessity for me. If you have time during the day though, what about finding a nearby park that you can jog in, or a local school where you can use the track or fields in the evening?

Though it's tempting to suggest waiting, you may want to buy a scale. Everyone is different, and people here will advocate different things in regards to weekly vs. daily weighing, but let me tell you... wherever your weight starts, when you see those numbers begin to move down, and you know those changes are due 100% to the effort you are putting in, it is an awesome feeling. The scale, though, is only one way to track your progress. You could also get a tape measure and use it to take your measurements each week.

It very much sounds like you've started in the right direction - healthier snacks, lots of water - and I hope that something in my disorganized post might be a little help to you. This place is amazing for information, support and encouragement, and I hope you'll stick around and use all the help here as you work to obtain your goals! Good luck

Welcome and good luck !

Thank you for all the advice. I did the calculator, and if my math skills worked out right, to maintain my current weight I'd need to eat 1895.46 calories a day (assuming I never exercise). To lose a pound per week I should eat 1395 calories a day (again, not counting exercise). That doesn't seem too hard if I learn to portion correctly. That website is actually pretty helpful. Thanks.