I just registered for this site yesterday. I'm a 28 year old grad student with about 30 pounds to lose. I've read some of the success stories and I'm amazed at the strong women here. I would love to find a thread where the posters are committed and not into excuses.
Unlike a lot of the stories I've read, I've never been a yo-yo dieter. I lost twenty pounds once in college by working out consistently and following an ediets meal plan. Last year I lost about 15 pounds doing the same thing. But I've never lost weight on a crash diet. Food is my biggest issue. I have a hard time denying myself any candy/junk that I want, and my portions are way out of control. Sometimes, I'm amazed I don't weigh more than I do.
Anyways, I want help with setting up a correct meal plan, tracking my food, making time to exercise. Just building those foundational habits. Any tips? Are there any threads/boards I should join? Any help would totally be appreciated.
Hi Annie! And welcome! Your eating habit sound a lot like mine...take a look around the forum and find what's right for you. I am currently posting mostly in the C25K thread, which is a great beginner running plan.
I'm not a big runner anymore (I ran a marathon in '05 and lost all desire to run after that), but I'll check out the board for some motivation. I've gotten very interested in biking lately. If anyone has any biking tips, I'd love that as well.
i would just surf around the site and make a plan for yourself. You'll need to decide how you are going to manage eating (if you are going to count calories or not etc) and how you want to get your exercise in. The Chicks in Control forum might have some good ideas for controlling your eating. Other than that i would say you can be as creative as you like with your plan! But i think being as specific as possible in it will help, makes it easier to spot what is going wrong if you find it doesnt work
hey bodyisatemple, i'm very similar to you. Also a grad student with about the same amount of weight to lose and about the same starting and ending points!
My eating is a little different, I keep gaining and losing the same 30 lbs because of stress! When I get too busy and stressed I forget to look at what I'm eating and eat really badly. I've done well over the past year because I'm not eating out as much and making better choices at home but I need to get on a consistent exercise plan. I usually work out for a month or so and then get busy and fall off the band wagon.
For me, usually it's I'm either exercising and eating badly or eating well and not exercising and then I'm not gaining weight but also not losing it.
Hi nbrown. Wow, are stats are very similar. You've already lost ten pounds, good for you! I added you to my buddy list. Let's definitely keep each other posted about the things we learn here.
Annie
thanks annie... the ten pounds was lost in january and february, so I kinda feel like I'm starting over again recently. I was on a plateau for about a month and a half and just stopped counting calories. Luckily I've had enough drive not to eat horribly and keeping the same eating habits I was when I was actually counting, so I think that's helped not gain any weight.
If you're interested in counting calories, www.fitday.com might be a good site for you. you can also enter your exercise, and look at the nutrition you're getting. It really helps me stay on track.
We're also about the same heignt, start weight, and goal weight. What has really helped me the most at feeling better about my body has been the exercising. I work out at least twice a week, usually 4 or 5 times. While i've been plateau for a while weight wise, i'm way more fit than i was.
I'm New to this site, where do I go?
I am also trying to figure out what to do first and just wanted to say hello and good luck.
