Hello everybody!
I decided to join as in recent years I've become very preoccupied with health/fitness/my weight and babble on to my friends about it, so I thought instead I might babble to those who would take more of an interest.
My name is Ellie, I'm 20 and I'm an Ancient History student at the University of London. I work part time in an Estate Agent, study, talk to my boyfriend, and am currently learning to drive and applying for grad jobs.
I am 5 foot 2 and currently 9 stone, a size 8 with a small frame. In the summer of 2008 I was 14 stone, a size 18.
In late August 2008 I got glandular fever, lasting severely for about 3 weeks. Through that time I (obviously) struggled to eat and lost about half a stone. Still recovering from the effects I left for University at the end of September, cooking and looking after myself for the first time.
The canteeen food wasn't so great so I was usually eating the veggie option or soup in the evenings, out of choice. Often I'd have a dessert with this or snack later in the evenings though. By the end of my first year I was 13 stone. Still large. Not a massive difference. But being a long walk from a supermarket, not snacking. At this point I was a size 16 more than an 18.
In Summer 2009, through those long University summers I decided, one day, to go to the gym. I thought, simply put, that I wanted to look more like my friends. Slimmer. In all honesty the figure on the scales meant little to me, and I'm glad it didnt otherwise I would have been very intimidated. Anyway, I started going 3-4 times a week for a couple of months, and kept up with jogging while on holiday. I only ever did 40 mins in the gym- 20 min slow jog, no incline, and a 20 min cycle. When jogging on holiday I did so for 20 mins every other day. I was a size 16.
I changed what I ate in the following way; no full fat crisps, no butter, no biscuits, no snacks. Obviously having my mother cooking for me evening meals I just slightly reduced portion size in that respect. Come September I was about 11.5 stone going back to Uni for the start of my second year.
Really, this is where the story begins. Complete with a cheap uni gym membership, free time (being a student) and the non watchful eye of my mother I got my diet down to about 1000-1200 calories a day and went to the gym or ran 5 times a week. I was eating a big bowl of cereal at breakfast, a sandwich from one slice of bread and fruit at lunch, then a half dinner portion in the evening, generally off a side plate. I always ate straight before or after the gym. I never felt faint, or dizzy. To this day that slightly amazes me. I drank a couple of cups of tea or coffee in the evenings to distract me from snacking.
That obviously MADE the transformation. To quote one of my friends;
'I didn't notice anything then suddenly you were a size 12...' the more you loose, the more noticeable it becomes.
I went home for Christmas 2009 at 10 stone, having lost a stone and a half between mid Sept and mid Dec. I was a dress size 10.
Coming home at the start of January I was 9.5 stone. I was more of a size 8.
Between Jan 2010 and Easter the last half stone slid off gradually, with me only really dieting a week here or there as it suited me, never totally sure how bothered I was.
I've got the following out of all of that-
1) I have a small frame. I never knew this. My shoulders are very narrow, as are my wrists. My hips however are a normal width.
2) I'm toned. My legs and upper arms are solid from running and weights
3) loose skin at the base of my stomach and when pulled at my arms- hence the weights
4) Incredible smuggness. Never. In my LIFE was I a size 8. I was a 16 when I was 11 years old. Always round.
5) An incredible sense of self motivation. I don't ever want to be above this size because I feel so BLOODY GOOD ABOUT IT.
6) A funny appetite. A few months of eating small meals and no snacking, then, as I am at the moment, a phase of the serious munchies, hitting me in the evening. I can only guess it's down to being on a strict diet for so long that my appetite isn't quite sure what to do with itself. Has anyone else experienced that?
Thanks for listening! I will pop some photos up when I work out how xxx
I decided to join as in recent years I've become very preoccupied with health/fitness/my weight and babble on to my friends about it, so I thought instead I might babble to those who would take more of an interest.
My name is Ellie, I'm 20 and I'm an Ancient History student at the University of London. I work part time in an Estate Agent, study, talk to my boyfriend, and am currently learning to drive and applying for grad jobs.
I am 5 foot 2 and currently 9 stone, a size 8 with a small frame. In the summer of 2008 I was 14 stone, a size 18.
In late August 2008 I got glandular fever, lasting severely for about 3 weeks. Through that time I (obviously) struggled to eat and lost about half a stone. Still recovering from the effects I left for University at the end of September, cooking and looking after myself for the first time.
The canteeen food wasn't so great so I was usually eating the veggie option or soup in the evenings, out of choice. Often I'd have a dessert with this or snack later in the evenings though. By the end of my first year I was 13 stone. Still large. Not a massive difference. But being a long walk from a supermarket, not snacking. At this point I was a size 16 more than an 18.
In Summer 2009, through those long University summers I decided, one day, to go to the gym. I thought, simply put, that I wanted to look more like my friends. Slimmer. In all honesty the figure on the scales meant little to me, and I'm glad it didnt otherwise I would have been very intimidated. Anyway, I started going 3-4 times a week for a couple of months, and kept up with jogging while on holiday. I only ever did 40 mins in the gym- 20 min slow jog, no incline, and a 20 min cycle. When jogging on holiday I did so for 20 mins every other day. I was a size 16.
I changed what I ate in the following way; no full fat crisps, no butter, no biscuits, no snacks. Obviously having my mother cooking for me evening meals I just slightly reduced portion size in that respect. Come September I was about 11.5 stone going back to Uni for the start of my second year.
Really, this is where the story begins. Complete with a cheap uni gym membership, free time (being a student) and the non watchful eye of my mother I got my diet down to about 1000-1200 calories a day and went to the gym or ran 5 times a week. I was eating a big bowl of cereal at breakfast, a sandwich from one slice of bread and fruit at lunch, then a half dinner portion in the evening, generally off a side plate. I always ate straight before or after the gym. I never felt faint, or dizzy. To this day that slightly amazes me. I drank a couple of cups of tea or coffee in the evenings to distract me from snacking.
That obviously MADE the transformation. To quote one of my friends;
'I didn't notice anything then suddenly you were a size 12...' the more you loose, the more noticeable it becomes.
I went home for Christmas 2009 at 10 stone, having lost a stone and a half between mid Sept and mid Dec. I was a dress size 10.
Coming home at the start of January I was 9.5 stone. I was more of a size 8.
Between Jan 2010 and Easter the last half stone slid off gradually, with me only really dieting a week here or there as it suited me, never totally sure how bothered I was.
I've got the following out of all of that-
1) I have a small frame. I never knew this. My shoulders are very narrow, as are my wrists. My hips however are a normal width.
2) I'm toned. My legs and upper arms are solid from running and weights
3) loose skin at the base of my stomach and when pulled at my arms- hence the weights
4) Incredible smuggness. Never. In my LIFE was I a size 8. I was a 16 when I was 11 years old. Always round.
5) An incredible sense of self motivation. I don't ever want to be above this size because I feel so BLOODY GOOD ABOUT IT.
6) A funny appetite. A few months of eating small meals and no snacking, then, as I am at the moment, a phase of the serious munchies, hitting me in the evening. I can only guess it's down to being on a strict diet for so long that my appetite isn't quite sure what to do with itself. Has anyone else experienced that?
Thanks for listening! I will pop some photos up when I work out how xxx
