Posts by a_j_w

This Week:  155.0

Last Week:  154.8

Change:  +.2

Well, it seems I am maintaining, which I suppose is better than gaining but still not okay.  Something appears not to be working with my current plan, so I'm going to try mixing it up over the next few weeks; playing around with calories and shaking up my exercise.  Wish me luck!

Great job to everyone who has been losing!!  To everyone gaining or stuck on a plateau like me: Stay strong and keep moving forward!!  

Yeah, I'm retaining water as I expected-- Lord I hope it's all water.  Anyway... hopefully I'll get a better idea next week.

Last Week:  153.6

This Week:  155.2

Gain:  1.6

Right now, I basically make it to the gym whenever I can (more like, whenever I can get myself there!) and then I'm sure to get at least an hour-long, high intensity workout in when I'm there.  

I think my goal is going to be consistency.

Also, I will aim to do quality workouts rather than going at a too-high intensity & for too many minutes (that's how I burnt myself out before).

So I guess my goal for the challenge will be:  Instead of going to the gym "whenever I can", I'm making a commitment to get myself to the gym 5-6 days/week.  My goal is 3 quality cardio workouts (of 40-60 mins) and 3 strength workouts (of 30-40 mins) each week.  If I can't make it to the gym for one of my workouts, I will do something active that day for 30 minutes in the very least-- like dancing around & doing strength exercises in my room, or taking a long brisk walk.

Is there still room left in the challenge?

Name:  Al

Age:  21
Height:  5'2"
Current Weight:  155
Heaviest Weight:  164
Goal Weight:  140 by Christmas (10% goal); ultimately 120ish

My ultimate goal in losing weight is to regain my health... total health... that is, not only a healthy weight/body, but also a healthy level of fitness and a healthy mentality (the biggest struggle)!  My struggles with weight began shortly before I started college, but I realize now that I've always had an unhealthy relationship with food.  I was a healthy 120 lbs and athletic in high school, but my habit of emotional eating brought me up to 145 by the time I started college.  I've never had a positive body image.  My first semester of college I gained and by the time I returned for second semester I was at my highest weight of 164 lbs.  I was disgusted with myself, so almost overnight I became very regimented, began cutting calories and exercising excessively.  I lost 15 lbs in less than one month.  However, soon I burnt myself out, and even though I still wasn't happy with my body I was too tired to keep losing weight this way.  I was still regimental about counting calories but I stopped losing weight because my "emotional eating" habit from high school crept up on me again and escalated into a very bad bingeing problem which continued for the next year.  My weight fluctuated like mad during this time, but I was more or less maintaining at 150 because I would have weeks of constant bingeing followed by weeks of over-exercising and/or cutting calories.  I finally sought support for my eating issues last spring, and with the help of a therapist got much of the problem under control.  I still want to lose weight (& return to a healthy BMI), but because I know now what my tendencies are, I'm here to help myself lose SLOWLY and healthily so as not to spiral back into disordered eating patterns.  I'm working hard to reshape my mentality as well as my body.

*edit:  Also, I forgot to mention that I've never really dieted per se-- my ups and downs were a result of my disordered tendencies, and I never considered myself on a diet.  I'm here because I don't want to yo-yo my entire life, diet or no diet.  I want to reach my goal slowly and healthily so that it will stick.  That and, well, it needs to be a slow process because I won't be able to change my mindset overnight-- I've learned that the hard way.  I've come a long way, but I've still a long way to go!!  Thanks!