Hi girls!! I'm ready to get my butt in gear!

I've been an on-again-off-again poster around here for a few years, but have been pretty much MIA for the last year or so. I moved to a new town and started veterinary school last summer/fall, and my life has been pretty much insanely busy over the last 9 months! I'm now free for the summer, and job opportunities are thin on the ground around here, but I'm planning to take advantage of the time to get our poor old house in shape, as well as doing the same for myself!

Anyhow, where to start? The last 10 years, in a flash - I've always been chubby, but was generally healthy and active in high school. Graduated high school at 160 pounds, believing myself to be utterly obese. Gained 10 pounds the first year, another 10 before graduation. Left college at 180, straight into a PhD program. Stress and inactivity meant another 20 pounds over the first 2 years of grad school. Got back together with my now-husband, decided grad school was wrong for me, and moved to Kansas City at 200 pounds. I looked over my weight loss attempts yesterday and realized I gained over 30 pounds in just 6 months after moving in with my husband and his roommate. By the time we moved here last summer, I was 240 pounds.

Over the last year, I've made a concerted effort to balance my eating habits, though it's been a struggle. I've wavered between 225 and 235 over the last several months, through dealing with first year VM classes, planning a wedding, and dealing with my mother's serious illness. I'm now doing well, at the low end of that flux, and ready to keep things moving in the right way.

So - 4 years of college - 20 pounds. 4 years of grad work - 20 pounds. A year living with the man - 40 pounds. And a year of veterinary school - lost 10.

I've made plenty of "serious" efforts over the years, and never managed to lose more than 10 pounds at any given time. And almost always end up gaining back more than I take off. I'm tired of being fat, tired of the slow gain, tired of being tired. And I want to finally get things orchestrated so that I feel comfortable having a baby and bringing up a child in as healthy a manner as possible.

Anyhow, I'm feeling good - we've got a great gym membership, a bike-and-walk-friendly town, and a great farmer's market in town. I want to use the summer to get things really moving and get a great set of habits established, so that when I return to the slog of classes in the fall, it will be easier for me to continue to have success.

So, sorry for the long-winded posting - I have a bad tendency to write far too much! Here's a picture from our wedding 3 weeks ago - I had a great dress which made me look and feel amazing, but I'm ready to take pictures that I don't want to toss out due to a bad bulge or double chin. I want our kids to look at our wedding pictures and not even recognize us because we've each lost 100 pounds and stayed healthy.

Hi! I'm also a poster that's been on-again off-again. It's been so long since I've been here (a couple of years) that I couldn't even remember my old screen name! lol But the important part is that we're here NOW. You've made "the decision" and that initial commitment is important. Stick with it and treat it like it's as important as your Vet school because your health IS that important. Get your new hubby involved (congrats by the way!) and hold each other accountable, work together and support each other, it makes so much difference to have a chearleader in your corner who's working for the same thing.

Congrats on the wedding! You look beautiful in your dress, beautiful and happy.

I'm on again and off again as well (I've been on here before but I had to create a new account name too). It sounds like you are very motivated and that's more than half the battle. Right now I'm trying to overcome my motivation issues, and reading uplifting posts like yours helps.

Are you going to do any special diet plan or exercise plan?

Good luck! You have a similar goal and starting weight as I do, so I hope we will both be happy with our progress by the end of the summer!

Welcome back!! Wow, I feel like our stories are so similar, and you're also a budding triathlete! Awesome!! It sounds like you've got this all figured out now, looking forward to seeing you around the forums more!

Thanks for the welcome, guys!

As for my plans - I've learned that what works best to me is something that's generally structured (as in, goals of X calories eaten a day, 60 minutes of cardio-type activity a day, 3 days of lifting/week, etc), but also very flexible (allowing for plenty of variety so I don't get bored, and room to accommodate unexpected plans, etc).

I've got a lot of tools at my disposal - I was an early-adopter of the Bodybugg, and have recently upgraded to the v3 model. Using this little guy means I get a lot better read on how much I move/burn - both the good and the bad! When I'm sitting all day in class, I find I don't burn nearly as much as I think I should, and I have to make a major effort to move my butt when I can, or better control my intake. On the other hand, when I'm out shopping or doing other "non-exercise" activities, I burn a lot more than I would normally think, and it helps me keep the big picture in sight.

So, with the BB, I'm working towards a daily calorie intake of 1800, and a burn of 2800. I'm too often tempted to cut my calories lower, but I find I have better success with keeping my intake fairly high and increasing my burn, rather than cutting down.

My overall plan is one of basic calorie counting, combined with the gadget element of the BB. I'm also planning to complete a triathlon in the fall, so that roughly structures my workout routine (though I'm mixing in weightlifting, Wii Fit/Active, and gym classes, along with my tri training schedule). I've tried a lot of the more structured diet/exercise plans on the market, and find that I do best with something that gives me general guidelines (1800 calories, generally quality healthy foods, regular exercise), rather than something with fidgety rules or limitations.

I just wanted to say what a beautiful bride you were. That is a gorgeous dress too.