treasureBelle
New member
Hi everyone 
I'm Anna, and I've lurked on these forums for a few months now, but this is my first actual post here. I'm a 20 yo student in my first year at uni... and I've known for some time that I've needed to lose weight.
At 17, in April 2007, my mum took me to a WeightWatchers meeting. First time? I weighed in at 15st 7lb. Yep. Now, over the next two years, through sensible eating and exercise (along with WW weigh ins), I managed to get down to 13st 9lb last summer.
Yep, I was proud of myself. It wasn't my goal weight, but it was a vast improvement on what I was.
(I'm not sure exactly how much I weigh now, but I do know it's a bit over 15st again. )
Having never been sporty, I walked a lot in those 2 years. No, I was never going to be an athlete, or make a school team, but I figured that since I couldn't run to save my life (still can't, actually), walking would be a good place to start. Remembering something a teacher at primary school had told us, I decided to work on improving my "own personal best", never mind what other people were doing.
One major thing that helped me in the first year, was the "200 Club" at school. The idea was to complete 200 laps around the 200m track on the school field during the summer term. You could walk, run, skip, jump, whatever - so long as you did the 200 laps. I LOVED 200 Club. It was a great motivator, and allowed me to go at my own pace - I wasn't competing with anyone, and it didn't matter how fast or slow I went, so long as I completed the laps.
200 Club also gave my my first "sport" certificate at the end of year prizegiving, that was all of my own achievement. (I had previously received a few certificates for house games, but that was only because we had some really sporty people on our house team, so it was easy just to stand out the way and let them score all the goals.) Usually, I dreaded Sports Proc(lamation) - the sports version of prizegiving at the end of the year; but this time, I looked forward to it because I knew I had the badge and certificate coming from 200 Club. I was the only person in my year group to have done it too.
Anyway... last summer (2009), at the end of my 2-year weight loss, I finished school, went to prom (in my lovely prom dress), and went to my uncle's wedding. I went shopping for something to wear to the wedding, and found a dress I absolutely ADORE. I wore it to the wedding in August, and everything was great.
Come September... I started university. Yep, the freedom, the excitement... etc etc etc. I'd put on a few pounds that summer, but less than 7lb, so I still felt good. For the Freshers' Fling in the last week of September (Scottish uni, so we had a ceilidh - traditional Scottish dance), I wore the dress from my uncle's wedding, which still fitted and looked/felt good.
Haha. Now, it's March (St Patrick's day, in fact), and I no longer fit into that dress. So I went and bought another dress in February for my birthday, which I have since worn on a night out, and to another ceilidh last week.
But the worst bit is yet to come.
I'm going to a ball on Saturday (tri-forces ball, with the Navy Unit, Air Force cadets, and OTC - officer training corps), which is obviously a formal event, requiring below-the-knee dresses. The only dress I have which still fits is the dress I bought for my birthday, which is knee-length, so I asked my parents to send up my prom dress from last summer.
Well... tried it on today, and I've put on so much weight since coming to uni, that it doesn't fit. I tried putting on body-sculpting underwear... no joy. Body-sculpting underwear and a corset tied really tight... nope, still not going to happen. I am not going to fit into this dress for Saturday.
As a student, there's no way I can afford to buy another (suitable) dress, so am borrowing one from a friend.
I've known since I came to uni that I've put on weight, but now I'm really going to do something about it. I want to be able to fit into my prom dress for the summer ball.
I've lost weight before, so I know I can do it again.
I've looked at photos of myself from the last couple of months, especially those of my 20th birthday... and I don't want to look the way I do now when I celebrate my 21st.
Last term, I joined the gym with a swimming membership, and for a while went swimming several times a week. (I'm not a gym bunny, but I like swimming - and besides, the swimming-only membership is cheaper. )
Now, I plan to renew that membership (today), and go more often. I like getting my money's worth out of things, which is part of what motivates me to go - plus how good I feel when I DO go swimming.
I love reading these forums, it's part of what motivates me, knowing that other people are in the same position. I especially love the Before, After and In Between forum, to see how people have progressed. I hope I can post a thread in there one day!
I'm Anna, and I've lurked on these forums for a few months now, but this is my first actual post here. I'm a 20 yo student in my first year at uni... and I've known for some time that I've needed to lose weight.
At 17, in April 2007, my mum took me to a WeightWatchers meeting. First time? I weighed in at 15st 7lb. Yep. Now, over the next two years, through sensible eating and exercise (along with WW weigh ins), I managed to get down to 13st 9lb last summer.
Yep, I was proud of myself. It wasn't my goal weight, but it was a vast improvement on what I was. (I'm not sure exactly how much I weigh now, but I do know it's a bit over 15st again.
)Having never been sporty, I walked a lot in those 2 years. No, I was never going to be an athlete, or make a school team, but I figured that since I couldn't run to save my life (still can't, actually), walking would be a good place to start. Remembering something a teacher at primary school had told us, I decided to work on improving my "own personal best", never mind what other people were doing.
One major thing that helped me in the first year, was the "200 Club" at school. The idea was to complete 200 laps around the 200m track on the school field during the summer term. You could walk, run, skip, jump, whatever - so long as you did the 200 laps. I LOVED 200 Club. It was a great motivator, and allowed me to go at my own pace - I wasn't competing with anyone, and it didn't matter how fast or slow I went, so long as I completed the laps.
200 Club also gave my my first "sport" certificate at the end of year prizegiving, that was all of my own achievement. (I had previously received a few certificates for house games, but that was only because we had some really sporty people on our house team, so it was easy just to stand out the way and let them score all the goals.) Usually, I dreaded Sports Proc(lamation) - the sports version of prizegiving at the end of the year; but this time, I looked forward to it because I knew I had the badge and certificate coming from 200 Club. I was the only person in my year group to have done it too.
Anyway... last summer (2009), at the end of my 2-year weight loss, I finished school, went to prom (in my lovely prom dress), and went to my uncle's wedding. I went shopping for something to wear to the wedding, and found a dress I absolutely ADORE. I wore it to the wedding in August, and everything was great.
Come September... I started university. Yep, the freedom, the excitement... etc etc etc. I'd put on a few pounds that summer, but less than 7lb, so I still felt good. For the Freshers' Fling in the last week of September (Scottish uni, so we had a ceilidh - traditional Scottish dance), I wore the dress from my uncle's wedding, which still fitted and looked/felt good.
Haha. Now, it's March (St Patrick's day, in fact), and I no longer fit into that dress. So I went and bought another dress in February for my birthday, which I have since worn on a night out, and to another ceilidh last week.
But the worst bit is yet to come.
I'm going to a ball on Saturday (tri-forces ball, with the Navy Unit, Air Force cadets, and OTC - officer training corps), which is obviously a formal event, requiring below-the-knee dresses. The only dress I have which still fits is the dress I bought for my birthday, which is knee-length, so I asked my parents to send up my prom dress from last summer.
Well... tried it on today, and I've put on so much weight since coming to uni, that it doesn't fit. I tried putting on body-sculpting underwear... no joy. Body-sculpting underwear and a corset tied really tight... nope, still not going to happen. I am not going to fit into this dress for Saturday.
As a student, there's no way I can afford to buy another (suitable) dress, so am borrowing one from a friend.
I've known since I came to uni that I've put on weight, but now I'm really going to do something about it. I want to be able to fit into my prom dress for the summer ball.
I've lost weight before, so I know I can do it again.
I've looked at photos of myself from the last couple of months, especially those of my 20th birthday... and I don't want to look the way I do now when I celebrate my 21st.
Last term, I joined the gym with a swimming membership, and for a while went swimming several times a week. (I'm not a gym bunny, but I like swimming - and besides, the swimming-only membership is cheaper.
)Now, I plan to renew that membership (today), and go more often. I like getting my money's worth out of things, which is part of what motivates me to go - plus how good I feel when I DO go swimming.
I love reading these forums, it's part of what motivates me, knowing that other people are in the same position. I especially love the Before, After and In Between forum, to see how people have progressed. I hope I can post a thread in there one day!