25 Pounds to go!

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christina01

New member
I weighed 190 lb.'s this past august and have since lost 35 lb.'s, currently weighing in at about 155! :hurray: As rewarding as it is to have lost so much weight and to be feeling so great I still have 25 more pounds to go before I reach my goal. I am 5' 6", female, 18 years old, and just finished my first semester of college. I have been struggling with my weight for about 3 years. I feel so much healthier and can't wait to reach my goal! I thought starting a weight loss diary would help keep me motivated for these last 25 pounds because I know they will be harder and will take longer than the weight I have already lost, which came off relatively quickly. So I will try to get on as often as possible to record my progress and get advice/support if I am struggling.

My usual daily diet: sugar-free oatmeal, peanut butter sandwich with some fruit, salad, and fruit or rice cakes for snacks. And I take a multivitamin everyday to make sure I'm getting all the vitamins I need since I'm on a fairly strict diet. I usually try to stay around 1,000 calories a day and try to work out out at least 3-5 days a week.

So this week has been a little rough because of the holidays, christmas day through sunday I didn't watch what I ate very much and didn't exercise. But yesterday I wanted to get back on track so I worked out for about an hour and made good choices with food all day! I had oatmeal for breakfast and after my workout I had a reduced fat peanut butter sandwich on whole wheat bread to get some protein for lunch. I went out to dinner with some friends but stuck to salad, although I did have a couple of bites of my friend's tiramisu, its my weakness :eek: Later that night my mom was having a piece of cake and I was really struggling but I had an apple instead! It's so hard at the time, but 5 minutes later when the craving is over you realize how proud you are of yourself and how disappointed I would have felt to have ruined my whole day of exercise and healthy eating for a silly piece of cake!

So I'm feeling good and finally back on track, about to go to the store with my mom and then get a good work out in. I would like to lose about 2 lb.'s this week, so hopefully I have a healthy and productive week! I'll keep you posted :)
 
Okay, so its been almost a month since I've last written! I am back at school for spring semester and have just been so busy getting back into the swing of things. But anyways, I have been doing really well on my diet! I was at 155 lb.'s when I posted last month, and I am currently (having just weighed myself) at 149! I haven't weighed in the 140's in about 2 and a half years, it feels great! My overall goal is about 130.. but I really am more focused on having a goal of being in the best shape I can be in, which may be slightly higher or lower than 130, I honestly don't know because I haven't been at that weight in so long!

So this past month I've actually been trying to raise my calorie intake, which was surprisingly hard! I had previously been eating about 800 calories a day, and am now trying to eat about 1,200 calories a day. I don't follow a specific diet, I just try to eat healthy in general. I avoid pre-packaged or processed foods, foods high in sugar, starches or white breads, and things with unhealthy fats. I've changed my daily diet since I last posted since I am now eating more calories, this is my current diet:
Oatmeal, banana, coffee and a multi-vitamin for breakfast
Fat-free yogurt for a snack
Sandwich on whole wheat with lean turkey, tomato, and mustard for lunch
Some cucumber slices (or some other veggie) for a snack
Another sandwich and an apple for dinner
Usually I have some type of snack later, either rice cakes, a spoonful of peanut butter, or a one hundred calorie pack

I also carry one hundred calorie packs in my backpack in case I don't get a chance to eat or get hungry in between classes, I really try to eat every 2-3 hours to keep my metabolism up. Its a weird change because I used to have the mindset that not eating all day was good, and eating very little was good. But now I've found that I've raised my calorie intake and am eating more frequently and am actually losing weight more quickly! Yay!!

As far as exercise goes, its a lot less than when I was home for a month for christmas... Mostly because at my house we have a treadmill so I would use it almost everyday, also I didn't have schoolwork or anything else to occupy my time so I could really devote a lot of time to exercise. Now I do crunches, push-ups, etc. a couple days of the week. I wish I could get more cardio in but I never have time! However, last semester I always took the shuttle to class, but I don't take it anymore! It was one of my new years resolutions :) I now walk to class, which is about a 15 minute walk, and i try to power walk to increase my heart rate, plus walking to class is an uphill walk which is even better! walking back from class is downhill so isn't as much of a workout, but its still moving! and when I get back from class I have to go up a few flights of stairs because my dorm doesn't have an elevator, so that gets in some work too! But my school does have a gym that is free for students so I really need to take advantage of it, I just have to fit working out into my schedule. Also, me and my friend are gonna start doing Zumba, which is a dancing workout class, and an abs class, both are also free for students!

So everything is going really great, I'm eating well and losing weight! My main issue is working in more time for exercise. I'm now only 19 pounds away from my goal! I think when I get to having 15 pounds left I'm going to have to really step up my exercise to shed the last of the weight, thats why I want to get it into my routine now!

I'll try to post a lot more often to keep myself motivated!

Any advice, words of wisdom, or sharing of stories would be great, thanks!! :)
 
So things are going pretty good, I'm down to 148, which was my goal for the end of january yay! I have overall goals for how much I want to lose a month, but I still weigh myself once a week to make sure I'm on track. My goal for the end of February is 143, so I dont think losing 5 pounds in a month is too difficult, I always make sure to set realistic weight loss goals because of course I wish I could be 130 by the end of the month but then I'll just end up disappointed because that goal would be way out of reach! so I'm pretty confident if I keep up what I'm doing I'll keep losing at a slow but steady pace, which is fine by me as long as I'm losing! haha

So I've been really good with my eating this past week, one of the main things I focus on (as dorky as this may sound) is the food pyramid! which seems so basic but it really does work! i just try to get in all the fruits veggies lean protein and whole wheat grains I need and just by doing that I reach my calorie intake limit, so I really just want to develop good eating habits like simply eating as healthy as I can, because I've been on too many up and down diets to want to go down that road again, this time when it comes off its staying off!!

The one thing I'm really struggling with is getting cardio in! I am doing weight training such as crunches, push ups, etc. a few times a week and walking to class is some cardio but I was jogging a lot last month and loved it, I think it would really speed up my weight loss but I honestly can never find time! During the week I always have class or doing something for a class and this past weekend I thought I'd have some extra time but I had two papers to write and a test to study for so I just felt guilty thinking of going to the gym and abandoning my work, which may just be an excuse I'm making for myself to avoid working out.. I feel like everyone that exercises regularly tells me that they don't have a lot of time either but they MAKE time and it really does all work out fine, so I think I need to push myself more.. the only issue I have is that I get weird about going to the gym, I get really self conscious when I work out in front of people! it sounds so stupid but even though I've lost so much weight I still am not in great shape or anything and I get out of breath very quickly and sweat A LOT, so I just feel like I can't work as hard as I would if I was at home exercising.. but idk I guess I'm gonna have to get over that somehow because it's really important that I start working out because I really think my weight loss is gonna plateau soon if I don't start doing some tough work outs!

Also, my roommate got sent home because she has the flu, so I disinfected the whole room because I don't want to get sick, there's just no time! but hopefully I'll be fine!

This week is crazy with all the schoolwork, plus my sorority is having spring recruitment this week so there's a bunch of meetings and what not to attend, so next week things should slow down significantly so I'm going to have a goal of doing cardio at least 3 times next week!

Well, I gotta go study for my psychology test and maybe get in some lunges before bed :)
 
Hey everyone! So this morning I weighed in at 145.6! :) I actually gained a couple pounds last week because I got hit with the flu :( So I found it was pretty tough to try to eat healthy when I was feeling so lousy, I think it was all the bagels I ate that did me in :/ Some people don't realize how bad those are for you, but just to put it in perspective in case you're curious, one plain bagel from a restaurant is usually around 300 calories, and add about 100-200 calories for butter or cream cheese and thats at least 400 calories! Normally 400 calories wouldn't be so much, but considering that the same bagel also has a full day's serving of grains (as much as 70g of carbs!), and not whole grains, thats a whole lot carbs for 400 calories. And I've done the atkins thing, I've tried those fad diets and I really am not one of those people who doesn't eat carbs, I think they're completely fine as long as you make sure to always eat 100% whole wheat, its not carbs that cause people to gain weight, its COMPLEX carbs (ie white carbs/starches)!! Plus, I know that if I'm really hungry for breakfast I usually eat 2 bagels, not one, which is about 800 calories, 1000 if you add cream cheese or butter! that just blows my mind, because I think most people view a bagel as a quick breakfast that isn't as unhealthy as something like pancakes, but if you get a cinnamon-sugar bagel, they can amount to about the same nutrition wise!

Anyways, (now that my soap boxing is done, hehe ;) ) I feel so great, its been about 2 and a half years since I've been at this weight! When I started I was wearing a size 16/14 in jeans and now I'm wearing 7/9's!! I've still got about 15 more pounds I want to lose and my goal size is a 5/6, so I'm almost there! It feels amazing. I really can't even explain. Not only am I losing weight but I'm SOO much healthier! I'm going to be 19 in May and before I started losing weight I had a BMI of about 30! Anything over 24.9 is considered overweight, and over 30 is obese!! This is health-wise, which I think is important to know, because someone may think that they're heavy but not obese, because obese seems like such an extreme word. For example, had a BMI 30 when I weighed 190 pounds and am 5'6", which I didn't think was outrageous, I seem to think that over 200lbs is when you need to worry, but some people may be surprised at their BMI! I'm now at a BMI of 23 :) my goal weight will put me at a BMI of 21 which is right in the middle of the healthy BMI range, which is between a BMI of 18 and 25. So I also found out that a healthy weight range for my height is between 120 and 145 pounds, which I'm at right now! I feel so good to be able to say I'm healthy, I couldn't say it before because I was so overweight and my bad cholesterol levels were through the roof at age 18!! Now I make sure to eat plenty of fruits, veggies, lean proteins, and whole wheat grains. I also try to limit my non-natural sugar intake (doctors have said that getting over 20g of sugar a day, not counting sugar from natural foods like fruits and veggies, is very unhealthy!! Even on my healthy diet I usually get about 20-25g. Which means that people who aren't watching their sugar intake are supposedly risking their health! crazy!) and of course watch my calories but overall I really just try to make the healthiest choices I can and its the only diet I've ever tried that really works for me and I am totally confident that I can keep the weight off because I've developed such good eating habits! Being healthy is important to me now, I never really cared before. But now I take a multi-vitamin every morning, try to eat a well-balanced diet, get plenty of fiber, drink LOTS of water, and make sure to stretch every morning and exercise a couple times a week. It seems like a simple plan that doesn't have any strict rules or trendy diet labels but it really worked for me, I hope you guys have the same success! :)

wow I feel like I just vented a lot, sorry for the length, I'm just feeling so overwhelmed and proud this morning seeing the scale and looking at old pictures of what i looked like only 6 or 7 months ago! Its an amazing feeling of accomplishment and I really hope you guys experience the same success! Anyways, my goal for the end of the week was 145 so I'm just gonna stick with that goal and see where I end up, a lot of times I tend to lose the most weight for the week between monday and thursday because thats when I have classes and am super busy and out and about, but friday through sunday are my weekends and I still eat healthy but I just move less because I have less to do, I should try to make weekends my prime workout time! That could be a good solution to my "no time" problem.. well I'll check in on sunday and let yall know my weigh in for the week! Hope everyone has a good weekend!! :)
 
Keep up the good work. Hope to be about where you are in a few years myself. Of course I'm a lot older than you.

As far as finding time for cardio goes, consider combining cardio with studying. Instead of zoning to an iPod, I'll often write programs and/or papers in my head while chugging away on a machine. If I am trying to memorize something then I'll make a little stack of low tech 3x5 cards and review them during the workout. Makes the time go by faster and helps reduce the guilt over not studying as much.
 
oh okay that's a good idea, thanks for the tip!! Yeah I am so excited about the weight I've lost, and as much as my diet is healthy and what not I know that I would have a lot more trouble losing weight if I was older. That was one of the main reasons that I felt like I wanted to lose the weight while I was still lucky enough for it to be pretty easy to do. I know that losing 45 pounds in about 5 months its pretty fast so I'm hoping to develop a healthy lifestyle early so that I don't have to do in a couple years when it will be much more difficult, so hopefully I keep these good habits going! good luck with your goals!! :)
 
You're doing so well! keep it up! we fairly have the same stats/age/weight, so yea i'm rooting for you hahah.

good job!
 
haha thanks amsterdam! I'm rooting for you too! :)

So I weighed 145 this morning, which isn't any different than the middle of the week, but I've actually found that I lose weight from monday to thursday, which are the days I have classes, and then over the weekend its more about maintaining the weight I've lost, I usually don't lose anymore. I think its because I'm so much busier during the week and I have less time to think about food, plus I'm up and moving more even if it is just walking to classes. Over the weekend I usually gain a pound but then lose it by monday morning, I don't really eat BAD over the weekends I just eat maybe 200 more calories, even though I'm still not going over 1200 calories so its still not a lot. But I'm usually just laying around watching tv, doing homework, etc. and I occassionally go out and drink with my friends, which definitely adds calories! so I try to stay really strict and on track during the week to lose as much as possible and then just try to maintain through the weeknd.

So everything is going pretty good here, 15 pounds left! I've got to study for a quiz, read two books, write a paper, and do two assignments though, so I'll check in later this week! Have a great week everyone!! :)
 
Hey guys! I thought I would put up a before and after pic for fun, my true "after" pic wont be for another 15 pounds but the difference is already huge so I thought it'd be fun to share!

So I've attached a picture of back in July of 2009, about a month and a half before I started dieting.. I was about 190 lbs. in that picture. And I've attached another picture taken this past thursday night.. you should definitely be able to tell which is which haha, hope this helps motivate people!! I know its a huge motivator when I look back at my old pictures, it helps me to get my crunches done when I don't feel like doing them, because I never want to look that way again!
 

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Christina,

Keep up the good work! You're doing awesome!!! You were a beautiful girl before..and you're a beautiful girl after :)

Hope you have a blessed day!
Fit
 
hey guys! well this week sadly I have gained a pound :( I was 146.4 this morning, but I actually expected to have gained more, I wasn't as strict this week. However, this is the first week I haven't lost anything so it's clear that I've reached the dreaded plateau, 145 seems to be the weight that I'm going to have to work extra hard to get below. I only need to lose fifteen more pounds to reach my goal, but its going to be pretty difficult as I can already see. I think the key is going to be upping my exercise because I don't think diet alone is going to lose these last 15. But I'm going grocery shopping today and am going to be getting lots of healthy foods, so I'm excited! I just need to get back on track and work extra hard. I've got a paper to write and two tests to study for so I'll check back in in a couple of days! Hope everyone has a good week!
 
Hey guys, I'm down to 145.0! so I've lost about a pound and a half since sunday. Last week I had some chocolates that my mom sent me for valentine's day and I would have a couple a day so I think thats what halted my weight loss. Now I'm back on track and eating healthy, so hopefully I continue to lose! I would love to get down to 143 by sunday, but I'm not sure how realistic that is so I'm just gonna have 144 as my goal for the end of this week. Wish me luck! Hope everyone's having a great week so far!
 
I weighed in at 143.6 this morning!! Feeling really great about this.. I was worried that I had reached a plateau but I was just slacking off on my diet, and now I'm being strict again and its working! So I'm very confident that I can be 143 at the end of this week. Yesterday I had oatmeal and a banana for breakfast, a fiber granola bar and fat free yogurt for a quick lunch, a turkey and tomato sandwich on whole wheat for dinner, and then I had an apple and some grapes a little later for snacks. So I'm back to eating super healthy and its paying off! Hope everyone else's week is going as great as mine :) I'll check in later!
 
Alright, so this morning I weighed 145.4. Which, considering the past few days, is pretty good. So last wednesday I weighed 143.6, but then I got mono from one of my roommates, so I went home wednesday night and got back yesterday. For some reason when I'm home I really don't care as much about what I eat, my diet usually goes right out the window, especially when I'm home because I'm sick. But I was honestly worried I would weigh more than I did this morning, I ate pretty badly, even went to Olive Garden on Saturday night :/ but I'm just glad I'm only at 145, so I'm gonna aim for 143 at the end of this week again. I set myself back a week but sometimes you just have to let it go, I honestly had one of the nicest weekends home I've had in a while, me and my mom had the best time together so I definitely don't regret the weekend at all :) So now back on the wagon, I'll check in later this week to let y'all know how it's going! i'm going to be insanely busy this week, I've got a paper due and a quiz today, then tomorrow I have 2 assignments due and a midterm, then I have to finish 2 book and write papers for both of them. So I'll definitely be keeping busy, hope everyone has a good week!!
 
alright. so its been about 10 days since I last wrote, and things have been getting tougher. The weight is a lot slower to come off these days, probably because I'm so much closer to my goal weight. But this morning I was at 143.0! so I was at 145 on this past Sunday, so I've lost about two pounds. Now I just have to try to keep it at 143 until Sunday, which will be tough because the weekend are always harder. Plus, I'm going out tonight and Saturday night and alcohol just has so many calories so I hope I can stay at 143! then my goal for next week would be 141, BUT then I'll be going home for a week because it's spring break, and I always eat wayyy worse when I'm home! But we also have a treadmill at home so I'm planning on using it everyday to try to balance out some of the extra calories. But my goal for that week is really to just not gain weight, I'm not gonna try to lose any because I know its not going to happen. But I'm really anxious to finally get to 140! because then I can say I'm officially ten pounds away from my goal! This summer is gonna be really tough to keep the weight off though, me and my mom are going to an all inclusive resort for 7 nights in mid May, and all-inclusive=LOTS OF FOOD. and then me, my mom, and my grandma are going to Europe for about 2 weeks in the end of June so that will of course involve eating all the amazing food there, so in between vacations I'm going to have to be working my butt off and trying to eat healthy! My goal for the summer will just be to come back to school in August at the same weight I was when I went home for the summer, so hopefully that happens. I'll check in on Sunday to let yall know the final verdict for the week! Hope everyone has a great day! :)
 
Wow you look amazing .....Those pics are very insperational for me since my starting weight was 192, and I aim for 125. I am at 183 so I still have a long road ahead but seing the difference in both pics wow makes me want it even more!!! Thanks and keep up the good work you are almost there!
 
Had to post- your before to inbetween photos are amazing, you look incredible!! You're really pretty and you look amazingly healthy.
Keep it up, not far now!!
 
thanks so much yall! I've really worked hard to lose this weight so I feel really great when people notice and I know its really paid off! So I reached my goal for last week of reaching 143, so my goal for the end of this week is 141, but I'm going home for spring break next week so I'm pretty sure I'm gonna gain a couple pounds but oh well its vacation! I'm really excited to go home because I'm gonna go shopping and I really need some summer clothes since all my clothes from last summer are way too big, so I'm really excited to actually be able to buy smaller sizes! I used to hate summer, I just hated the clothes because I was always uncomfortable and wanted to be more covered up and I would have to make excuses about not being able to go to the pool with my friends all summer long, so I can't wait for this summer, I'll actually be able to enjoy! It's kind of silly when I realize how such a silly thing like my weight really got in the way of me enjoying life before, it is definitely tough to lose the weight and keep it off, but overall its so worth it because you just enjoy life a lot more I think. Well I hope everyone had a good weekend and is ready for a great week! Good luck to everyone! :)
 
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