Hi Everyone!
I am new and just dropping a line to say hello. My name is Sarah and I am a 20-year-old college student. I have had trouble keeping weight off ever since I quit playing soccer nearly 3 years ago, and it seems like every time I take it off, I put it back on. I'm 5'5" and I currently fluctuate between 160-170lbs.
In the past (even while I was still very active and playing soccer year-round) I had difficulties with eating disorders--most specifically binging and purging, although I would also "fast" for long periods of time. It's made it really hard for me to lose weight in a healthy way NOW, because some part of my mind is still in that eating disorder mindset. I often feel like I'm getting fatter as I eat and I sometimes feel the need to throw up after even a normal-sized meal. For the record, I don't. I've learned to appreciate my nice teeth.
I have always had problems getting motivated and (most especially) staying that way. My goals in the past have been to get from one size or weight to another, to look good for my boyfriend, or to be more comfortable wearing a swimsuit in public. I've realized that these goals don't work for me because that isn't what I really want and they are really more focused on other people. I've come up with three really solid reasons and I'm hoping to find creative ways to remind myself of these as I try to lose weight.
1) I want to FEEL better. When I do a yoga pose or work in the yard, I don't want to feel obstructed by my size. When I go on rounds of my building (I'm a resident advisor so we have to patrol the halls at night once or twice a week), I don't want to feel winded when I climb the stairs. Also, I'm joining our college's rugby team in the fall, and the less I have to work to keep up with the team, the better!
2) My 21st birthday is in September. A friend and I are going out to a jazz club/pub and I would LOVE to buy a sexy dress and feel great in it Also, I don't want to feel guilty about drinking a beer (or three!).
3) My 4-year anniversary is coming up with my boyfriend in February 2011. Again, I would like to feel good so that I can enjoy the night. More than that, we are talking about getting engaged in 3 or so years and I would love to be living a healthy lifestyle when I decide to walk down the aisle. It's kind of a long term goal, but those are good too, right?
I am looking for support and I look forward to reading about everyone and how they are working to get healthy. Any advice on how YOU stay motivated is also appreciated. I don't have a weight loss goal per se, although I would like to see myself go a little closer to the goal weight for someone my height and age. Mostly it's about how I feel, and how I feel about how I look.
Thanks for reading, and I really look forward to getting to know everyone!
I am new and just dropping a line to say hello. My name is Sarah and I am a 20-year-old college student. I have had trouble keeping weight off ever since I quit playing soccer nearly 3 years ago, and it seems like every time I take it off, I put it back on. I'm 5'5" and I currently fluctuate between 160-170lbs.
In the past (even while I was still very active and playing soccer year-round) I had difficulties with eating disorders--most specifically binging and purging, although I would also "fast" for long periods of time. It's made it really hard for me to lose weight in a healthy way NOW, because some part of my mind is still in that eating disorder mindset. I often feel like I'm getting fatter as I eat and I sometimes feel the need to throw up after even a normal-sized meal. For the record, I don't. I've learned to appreciate my nice teeth.
I have always had problems getting motivated and (most especially) staying that way. My goals in the past have been to get from one size or weight to another, to look good for my boyfriend, or to be more comfortable wearing a swimsuit in public. I've realized that these goals don't work for me because that isn't what I really want and they are really more focused on other people. I've come up with three really solid reasons and I'm hoping to find creative ways to remind myself of these as I try to lose weight.
1) I want to FEEL better. When I do a yoga pose or work in the yard, I don't want to feel obstructed by my size. When I go on rounds of my building (I'm a resident advisor so we have to patrol the halls at night once or twice a week), I don't want to feel winded when I climb the stairs. Also, I'm joining our college's rugby team in the fall, and the less I have to work to keep up with the team, the better!
2) My 21st birthday is in September. A friend and I are going out to a jazz club/pub and I would LOVE to buy a sexy dress and feel great in it
Also, I don't want to feel guilty about drinking a beer (or three!).3) My 4-year anniversary is coming up with my boyfriend in February 2011. Again, I would like to feel good so that I can enjoy the night. More than that, we are talking about getting engaged in 3 or so years and I would love to be living a healthy lifestyle when I decide to walk down the aisle. It's kind of a long term goal, but those are good too, right?
I am looking for support and I look forward to reading about everyone and how they are working to get healthy. Any advice on how YOU stay motivated is also appreciated. I don't have a weight loss goal per se, although I would like to see myself go a little closer to the goal weight for someone my height and age. Mostly it's about how I feel, and how I feel about how I look.
Thanks for reading, and I really look forward to getting to know everyone!
