Ending the year where I started, but that's okay!

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katharcal

New member
Hello! I joined this forum last January and set a goal for myself to lose around 40 lbs by June '09. Well, that did not happen. I stopped visiting the forum and stopped paying attention to diet and exercise shortly after losing about 10 lbs or so, mostly because a was flooded with personal problems. I went through a very painful break up last summer with someone I had been with for six years, and I am still recovering from the emotional toll that took on me, it seems.

However, I have made a lot of progress in terms of taking care of myself mentally and emotionally and I finally feel ready to tackle my physical health once more. This forum was extremely helpful to me at the start of the year, and so I'm happy to be returning with some new-found confidence and motivation.

I am currently 5'4, 173 lbs, which is still an improvement from where I was at the beginning of the year (188!), but pretty far off from 135-140 lbs, which is where I would ideally like to end up. I plan on going to the gym with my sister at least twice a week, replacing all soda/milk/juice with plenty of water, and making other small changes in my diet for starters. I am a classic emotional eater, but I feel like I'm in a much better place emotionally than I was at the start of the year, so hopefully I will do okay!

I wanted to post a recent picture just to further motivate myself. I don't hate my body anymore; I just want to be good to myself, and that includes eating better and getting more exercise. Wish me luck! This forum is such a tremendous inspiration to me.
 
You have a beautiful figure! You may find that losing 10-15 pounds and putting on a few pounds of muscle will be all you need! That's what I found. I started at 180 and now I'm 150 and if I do say so, I look f'n hot.

Make sure that you include resistance training! Good luck!
 
It sounds like you've got the motivation to make a positive change in your life - that's half the battle! A great attitude and patience can go a long way in one's attempt to lose weight and get back on track emotionally and physically. You seem like the type of person who can make this work so go get it!
 
Thank you both so much for the encouragement! I think a positive attitude was what I was missing at the start of the year. I have a feeling it will go a lot better now that I'm not beating myself up quite as much!
 
katharcal said:
I am currently 5'4, 173 lbs, which is still an improvement from where I was at the beginning of the year (188!), but pretty far off from 135-140 lbs, which is where I would ideally like to end up.
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I started January 1st, 2009 at 180 lbs and am now 135 lbs.

2010 is going to be your year and you're going to do it!
 
Oh wow, that is SO motivating to me. Thanks for replying and congratulations on your hard work paying off! I'd love to hear what worked for you. It barely even registers for me that I could actually end up at 135, but I'm sure I would feel so much better physically if I could get there.
 
katharcal said:
Oh wow, that is SO motivating to me. Thanks for replying and congratulations on your hard work paying off! I'd love to hear what worked for you. It barely even registers for me that I could actually end up at 135, but I'm sure I would feel so much better physically if I could get there.
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For me it was more about the exercise than the eating habits but I started working out and just stuck with it. I go to the gym religiously several times, if not every day some weeks, and get in an hour to two hours of exercise.

As far as food goes, portion control and substitution worked best for me. I never deny myself anything. I eat exactly the way I feel like eating.

I eat baked potatoes instead of fries at restaurants. I eat veggie burgers and veggie chicken patties and cut calories that way. I drink water only. I use I can't believe it's not butter spray instead of real butter. I eat 150 calorie microwave betty crocker cakes when I want something sweet.

You have to find what works for you. If you're good in the gym then you can afford to eat more calories. If you know you're not going to put forth the effort in exercise, you'll have to be more strict on your eating habits.

Honestly, babe, the hardest part is just waiting for the scale to go down. I look back on this year and I remember it in weights. I say "20 lbs ago" instead of "5 months ago". It's frustrating waiting for the scale to show each pound lost but if you work-out, learn to enjoy working out and teach yourself healthier eating habits, within a year you can be at your goal weight.

Right now I'm hoping to spend 2010 toning up and getting even more fit as far as running and such. :)
 
Welcome back! Sounds like you're in a similar range as myself and doyle. We're both new members. Hopefully we can all support and motivate one another in this journey. I'll be keeping a journal (ripped) and doyle posted in before/after 168-128.
 
Good luck! I'm sure year 2010 will be the year when you can achive your goal. It sound like you have found the right motivation now!
 
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