Newcomer to the stage!

brunettegoddess

New member
Hello all!

I guess this is where I introduce myself to all of you svelte and svelte-to-be's. My name is Candice and I'm a 22 yr old classically trained soprano. I just moved to Atlanta and I'm looking for a full time job now that I'm here. I'm originally from PA and after the two months they've been having winter wise, I picked a good time to come down here were the weather is gorgeous and supposed to be in the 80s this weekend:cool:

I have struggled with weight loss all of my life. Both of my parents are on the heavier side and unfortunately I can't remember us being the healthiest of eaters while I was growing up. It also wasn't until recently that I realized as a child, I knew I was fat but I didn't really know why. Sophomore year of high school was an eye opener. Right before my 16th birthday and a three week performing trip in Europe, my weight ballooned to 218 pounds at 5'6. To this day I'm convinced that my appendicitis was a direct effect of my being overweight. It was a wake-up call when the nurse had to press excruciatingly hard on my stomach so that the ultrasound could see my organs through my fat. My waist was at a staggering 39 inches, my hips at 48 inches and I was wearing a bra size 46c.

When I graduated from high school, I weighed 185 pounds. I was at a much healthier (although not the healthiest) weight than a few years before. In fact, I weighed less then than I did when I stepped on the scale to 195 pounds in the 7th grade.

College came. I was thrust into a co-ed dorm. My college roommate stood 5'9 and 115 pounds. I was the biggest girl in the hall. All the girls seemed so polished, shiny, skinny, savvy, awesome, you name it. I felt so homely. In the year preceding, my weight loss habits weren't the healthiest. I was on slimfast, which to this day still works as the best method for me. But I was also skipping meals, several meals. Eating less than 500 calories for lunch. When i got to college I wanted to look like all the other girls, not to mention I was head over heals in requited love with a boy who wouldn't even look in my direction because I wasn't skinny. After christmas break, I went hardcore. I ate less than 1200 calories a day and then went down to 800 hundred. Diet coke became a meal. I had been a laxative addict for sometime and this became worse (although I came to find out later that laxatives don't work at all and I'm lucky to not have screwed up my bowels.) I was working out two hours a day seven days a week. I was actually burning more in a workout than I was eating in a day which left me exhausted, severely depressed, hopeless and easily aggravated. I was a bulimic who turned to anorexia by the time I sought counseling spring the next year. In that year between spring of my freshman year and spring of my sophomore, there were several events that I am lucky didn't land me in a pine box. Desperation is an odd thing. Hindsight makes it all seem silly.

In any case, at my lowest I was down to 170 (I actually dropped into the 160s for about a week when I stopped eating and therefore became dehydrated which accounted for three pounds... three pounds of water, not fat). As I came out of it, my weight went up to 185 and stayed there until my senior year of college. During the last year and a half of college, I had finally ventured into the dating world and made some of the worst choices a girl could make. When the smoke cleared, I'd been abused and used in several ways by three different men. I suddenly associated the beauty I finally had to being treated badly, and as any good fat person (or Cancer) does, I retreated into my shell and packed on 25 pounds. It was devastating.

To end such a long story, in May of last year I met the most incredible guy a girl could ever imagine. His support and affection have given me the courage and desire to be as beautiful, healthy and fit as I can. I've lost those 25 pounds and I'm back to 185. I feel like I'm finally ready to get rid of the rest of this weight for good. And I feel like I'm finally in an environment where I'm not sexually objectified or being used. I can come out of my shell and take back all of the self-confidence I had lost.

I'm not sure what my ultimate goal weight is. I think that once I get down to say 165, I'll have a much better perspective on what I'd ideally like my body to be. 175lbs is my short term goal, 165 is my short-long term goal and then something in the 130s or 140s for the finishing touches.

My weightloss plan is to watch what I'm eating, workout five times a week. I'm not putting myself on anything strict because it always brings out the not-so-healthy weightloss strategies I've use before. I'm going to do this slowly. I'll be celebrating my 23rd birthday in June and I'd like to be thinner for when that happens but I'm not setting a specific weight. This is going to be a healthy, no pressure weightloss for me and I couldn't be more excited.

Anyone should feel free to message me and say hello. I'm still figuring out all the tools of this site. And if anyone here lives in the Atlanta area, definitely give me a shout out! I could use some friends:p

Good luck to everyone!
 
Wow, that is a lot of words. But I read every single one of them. :)

I am very happy that you turned your life around. I think you will find another layer of support through this forum. I look forward to learning more about you.
 
Inspiring

Hello Brunettegoddess!

Your story is very inspiring. It shows that the most important thing in life is self discovery and self love. It sounds like you are in that place now and ready to start out on a weightloss journey the right way! I think it's great that you have already decided to incorporate exercise into your life, it's such an important part of health in general. I am a 27 year old woman that put on weight after getting married. My husband and I love to watch movies and eat. Too much of this caught up to me, and I put on about 25 lbs. When I noticed what was happening, I took action, and lost the weight. This was 5 years ago, and I've kept the weight off. Ever since then, I've been dedicated to helping others lose weight and keep it off. A lot of my family and friends struggle with obesity, and it's been my goal to help them acheive a healthy weight. I've started a blog that deals with healthy weightloss. I update it daily and try to cover things that will help others achieve weightloss. Recipes, workouts, tips, meal plans and other topics. I update it daily, and love to answer any questions. Email me if there's a topic you would like for me to cover or post a comment. I know you will achieve your weightloss goals! The site is:


God Bless
 
Excellent reading :D hehe!

Welcome Welcome! What a lovely story! :)

How are you planning on losing the weight :)

Youll enjoy the site, ive only been on it since sunday and its fantastic the support you get and the tips and advice.. espesh steve.. he's the source of all knowledge! :p haha...!

Enjoy yourself and keep us posted x
 
Thanks for all of the support already! I can't tell you all how excited I am to FINALLY start this chapter of my life. It's so exhilarating. And now to poke around on here and figure out how to make a journal. I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!
 
I'm so amazed at all you have accomplished.... I have to say touring Europe sounds amazing. Good for you in losing what you have so far. Hopefully this site will encourage you to get to where you feel the best & are the healthiest. I am amazed at the support I have found here.

Oh & I am of course loving your name! Good to have another Goddess walk among us! :)
 
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