Hi there!
My name is Chelsea, I'm a 24 year old law student in Michigan.
I am so excited to find an online "support" forum
Well... not one to shirk away from stating the obvious; Reason I'm here? I NEED to lose weight... goal is nearly 40lbs., which at this point seems near IMPOSSIBLE, so having other people to talk to and motivate me seems to be a logical step.
I'm 5'9" and weigh anywhere from 184 to 187 on a given day. Last year, I weighed about 160. Years prior? I weighed about 150.
Throughout my childhood, I was always what my family would describe as "just bigger than" the other kids. In junior high I started walking everyday with my dogs, at least a mile and a half... I stayed heavy but had a lot of muscle. In highschool, gym class was mandatory. I LOVED it. We had to run for about 10 minutes everyday to warm up and then did basic fitness (situps/crunches, jumping jacks, stretches, etc), and then some sport or another. I was sooo competetive and reveled in being chosen first for teams (I hadn't ever really played school sports, so this was new to me). I was still walking my dogs... I also added running to my schedule, a few nights a week I would run about a mile. I also COMPLETELY cut out all of the junk I was eating (our cupboards were constantly stocked with hostess and little debbie snacks, chips, etc). I requested that my parents buy more fresh produce and decided I'd try being vegetarian for a while. By Christmas I had gone from a size 12 to a size 7... and at one point I weighed myself and was shocked that the scale read 128. The next year I took a fitness course offered by my school and learned how to weightlift and use machines properly. I gained some weight (probably muscle) had an AWESOME body, although I wasn't 100% confident in myself at the time. I maintained my weight at about 140 to 145 throughout the remainder of highschool. I was a vegetarian until senior year.
Throughout undergrad I worked out at the school's Recreation center several times a week, some weeks I went more often than others. I also joined a gym outside of school and worked out with my then boyfriend. I maintained my weight at about 150 until about 2004. I started dating my now future-husband, who is naturally tall and thin. His diet literally consists of pizza, Wendys, lasagna, spaghetti, burgers, macaroni and cheese and popcorn. I was able to coerce him into eating chicken and Subway... but he is a VERY rediculously picky eater. At first I was very good at saying "I'll get something else..." but eventually I started eating "his" foods at the times he ate (he always eats late at night). In a period of 5 or 6 months I gained nearly 40 lbs.
Here I am. Nearly 4 years later. This past summer I moved from my grandparent's home to my own apartment with my dog and a new kitten. I'm rather sedentary and I don't have a good sleep schedule (note the time... havn't gone to bed yet).
I was taking my dog for walks when I first moved to my new apartment... and got down to 176 without trying to lose weight... I only focused on eating healthy (mostly organic because the environment and my health ARE important to me, veggies and fruits all the time, no processed foods in sight, and hardly any fast food). Well... I've gained it all back. Finals week was terrible - I bought processed foods to save myself time and lived on hotpockets, instant oatmeal, spaghetti and frozen burritos for about 2 weeks. Now, a new semester has started, and I'm ready to really put in the effort and get back on track.
I'm sorry for that
Essentially, I'm sick of my own excuses (too tired, too busy, too much homework). I need a lifestyle change... I look back and say "I don't know how I did it... or what happened to make it stop..." about my highschool and undergrad habits - at the time, I didn't ever consider the weight loss until it was already underweigh, which made it seem less intimidating somehow. Once I realized I had lost a few pounds though, I was incredibly motivated and the rest of the "fatty" weight just melted right off! The task ahead seems very slow and daunting, which is always a motivation killer for me. Attempting to do what I did then doesn't help so much anymore - my body has changed. Even though I'm 30 lbs heavier now than I was at any point as a teenager, I have only gone up 1 pant size from the prior "heavy" point of a size 12, I'm now a 14.
I'm starting this week by drinking lots of water... and when I go grocery shopping Sunday, I'll be back to buying strictly protein and fresh produce.
Anyone know where I can obtain a fruit and veggie season chart?
I look forward to meeting everyone... and I appologize that my candor has taken nearly 2 pages :-O Any tips on a lifestyle of organic living with a diet high in veggies and lean protein would be LOVELY! I'd like to join an activity - yoga (about a mile jog from my apartment there is a yoga studio I want to check out), karate of some sort (it seems useful), or intramural soccer or vollyball... not sure yet.
Talk to you soon! Thanks for allowing me to join!
My name is Chelsea, I'm a 24 year old law student in Michigan.
I am so excited to find an online "support" forum
Well... not one to shirk away from stating the obvious; Reason I'm here? I NEED to lose weight... goal is nearly 40lbs., which at this point seems near IMPOSSIBLE, so having other people to talk to and motivate me seems to be a logical step.
I'm 5'9" and weigh anywhere from 184 to 187 on a given day. Last year, I weighed about 160. Years prior? I weighed about 150.
Throughout my childhood, I was always what my family would describe as "just bigger than" the other kids. In junior high I started walking everyday with my dogs, at least a mile and a half... I stayed heavy but had a lot of muscle. In highschool, gym class was mandatory. I LOVED it. We had to run for about 10 minutes everyday to warm up and then did basic fitness (situps/crunches, jumping jacks, stretches, etc), and then some sport or another. I was sooo competetive and reveled in being chosen first for teams (I hadn't ever really played school sports, so this was new to me). I was still walking my dogs... I also added running to my schedule, a few nights a week I would run about a mile. I also COMPLETELY cut out all of the junk I was eating (our cupboards were constantly stocked with hostess and little debbie snacks, chips, etc). I requested that my parents buy more fresh produce and decided I'd try being vegetarian for a while. By Christmas I had gone from a size 12 to a size 7... and at one point I weighed myself and was shocked that the scale read 128. The next year I took a fitness course offered by my school and learned how to weightlift and use machines properly. I gained some weight (probably muscle) had an AWESOME body, although I wasn't 100% confident in myself at the time. I maintained my weight at about 140 to 145 throughout the remainder of highschool. I was a vegetarian until senior year.
Throughout undergrad I worked out at the school's Recreation center several times a week, some weeks I went more often than others. I also joined a gym outside of school and worked out with my then boyfriend. I maintained my weight at about 150 until about 2004. I started dating my now future-husband, who is naturally tall and thin. His diet literally consists of pizza, Wendys, lasagna, spaghetti, burgers, macaroni and cheese and popcorn. I was able to coerce him into eating chicken and Subway... but he is a VERY rediculously picky eater. At first I was very good at saying "I'll get something else..." but eventually I started eating "his" foods at the times he ate (he always eats late at night). In a period of 5 or 6 months I gained nearly 40 lbs.
Here I am. Nearly 4 years later. This past summer I moved from my grandparent's home to my own apartment with my dog and a new kitten. I'm rather sedentary and I don't have a good sleep schedule (note the time... havn't gone to bed yet).
I was taking my dog for walks when I first moved to my new apartment... and got down to 176 without trying to lose weight... I only focused on eating healthy (mostly organic because the environment and my health ARE important to me, veggies and fruits all the time, no processed foods in sight, and hardly any fast food). Well... I've gained it all back. Finals week was terrible - I bought processed foods to save myself time and lived on hotpockets, instant oatmeal, spaghetti and frozen burritos for about 2 weeks. Now, a new semester has started, and I'm ready to really put in the effort and get back on track.
I'm sorry for that
Essentially, I'm sick of my own excuses (too tired, too busy, too much homework). I need a lifestyle change... I look back and say "I don't know how I did it... or what happened to make it stop..." about my highschool and undergrad habits - at the time, I didn't ever consider the weight loss until it was already underweigh, which made it seem less intimidating somehow. Once I realized I had lost a few pounds though, I was incredibly motivated and the rest of the "fatty" weight just melted right off! The task ahead seems very slow and daunting, which is always a motivation killer for me. Attempting to do what I did then doesn't help so much anymore - my body has changed. Even though I'm 30 lbs heavier now than I was at any point as a teenager, I have only gone up 1 pant size from the prior "heavy" point of a size 12, I'm now a 14.
I'm starting this week by drinking lots of water... and when I go grocery shopping Sunday, I'll be back to buying strictly protein and fresh produce.
Anyone know where I can obtain a fruit and veggie season chart?
I look forward to meeting everyone... and I appologize that my candor has taken nearly 2 pages :-O Any tips on a lifestyle of organic living with a diet high in veggies and lean protein would be LOVELY! I'd like to join an activity - yoga (about a mile jog from my apartment there is a yoga studio I want to check out), karate of some sort (it seems useful), or intramural soccer or vollyball... not sure yet.
Talk to you soon! Thanks for allowing me to join!
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