Posts by seldonlives

Name: Joy
Age: 21
Height: 5'4"
Start Weight in August 1, 2009: 153.2
Goal Weight (by August 28): 149

Aug 07: 152.4
Aug 14: 150.4
Aug 21: 152.6
Aug 28: 153? I forgot to weigh myself this morning, but that's what I was yesterday so I figure it's probably right about there.

Total weight loss: -.2 :-p

Name: Joy
Age: 21
Height: 5'4"
Start Weight in August 1, 2009: 153.2
Goal Weight (by August 28): 149

Aug 07: 152.4
Aug 14: 150.4
Aug 21: 152.6
Aug 28:

Total weight loss: -.6

I must have just been dehydrated last Friday or something, because I went right back up to 152.6 and have been there ever since. *sigh* Maybe it's water retention because I've stepped up my lifting routine. At least I'm seeing some changes, so it doesn't feel completely pointless. :-p

Name: Joy
Age: 21
Height: 5'4"
Start Weight in August 1, 2009: 153.2
Goal Weight (by August 28): 149

Aug 07: 152.4
Aug 14: 150.4
Aug 21:
Aug 28:

Total weight loss: -2.8

So glad to be moving steadily forward, I think my hormones have finally calmed down... I might even hit my goal before the 28th. Which will be wonderful because I've been trying to get under 150 for two months now, and I'm impatient to get my first mini-reward!

Name: Joy
Age: 21
Height: 5'4"
Start Weight in August 1, 2009: 153.2
Goal Weight (by August 28): 149

Aug 07:
Aug 14:
Aug 21:
Aug 28:

Total weight loss:

My BMI is above your query range, but I just wanted to pop in, second everybody else's comments, and add that waist/hip ratio is another way of determining how much a person's body fat distribution affects their risk of heart disease, diabetes, etc. It's generally considered at least as important as BMI, and many studies suggest that it actually gives a more accurate risk assessment. The rule is that if a woman's waist/hip ratio is .8 or greater, you are at increased risk. Below .8 is healthy (it's .95 for men). Your measurements put you at .69, well within the healthy range.

Oh, and fwiw in the only study I've seen that goes into BMI variation by ethnic group places, 23 is given as the lowest cutoff point anyone has proposed, not something the medical community has settled on. The proposed range changes also vary depending on what you are specifically (i.e. Chinese vs. South Asian, cf http://www.theheart.org/article/785215.do ) The reason for the change seems to be mainly concern about variations in body fat levels and distribution patterns among ethnicities, so if you're really worried you can check your distribution (i.e. waist/hip ratio) and level (i.e. body fat percentage) yourself. If both of those are fine, you're golden.

Remember, BMI is a very, very basic diagnostic tool. It's far from foolproof.

I have to share in the agony of names that get you serenaded by complete strangers. My middle name, which I've always gone by, is Joy. Now, I love my middle name; it's short, simple, and cheerful without being trite. But every time I introduce myself, it goes like this: "Hi, my name is Joy." "Joey?" "No, Joy. J-O-Y." "Oh, you mean like (they begin singing) 'Joy to the world...'" It's kind of a tossup whether I get the Christmas carol or Three Dog Night. Sometimes I'll get "Happy Happy Joy Joy," which is a nice change of pace.

In addition to the spontaneous performances, I get lots of puns ("Oh, you're such a joy to be around!"), the occasional confused moment ("Oh, joy!" "Yes?" "No, sorry, I didn't mean Joy joy...."), and a whole crapload of Christmas presents from my mom that have 'my name' on them (e.g. ornaments, trivets, towels, candleholders...). Every year.

And yet, I still love it enough to walk down the aisle to Beethoven's 9th. :-)

Oh, and for the record my first name is perfectly normal, but old and fairly uncommon nowadays (hint: I got dressed up as a certain Wizard of Oz character more than once when I had no say in the matter - and now I hate pigtails and Mary Janes with a passion).

My fiancé climbs all the time, and he's 6'4" and 265-275 pounds. He's normally spotted by friends who are between 5'9" and 6'0" and 130-160 pounds. Never had any problems - the rope and pulley is a wonderful invention.

Definitely do it, it seems like a fantastic time.

I went to a community college for a year and then transferred to a four-year university, and I just wanted to emphasize vultar's point about making sure the courses will transfer. Here in Illinois there is a special certification that the state grants to certain classes, and almost every university in the state has signed an agreement to accept classes with that certification. There was information in the course schedule about it, and classes were marked if they had it. (Edit: Found transfer info on the CCRI website.)

Speaking from experience about going through college with emotional issues (depression for me, but I think it still applies), the single best piece of advice I can give you is to not to overload yourself. Start slow, especially since you're so anxious about it; the last thing you want is to overload, struggle, and give up because you think you can't handle it. It's better to get the most out of two or three classes and walk away with A's and B's than struggle through six and come out the other end with D's and your blood pressure through the roof.

And as far as the age issue goes, it's really not one. I went to community college and half of my classmates were over 30. Even at the 4-year institution I'm attending now, the majority of my classmates are between 18 and 26 but there are frequently students between 30 and 50. I have never seen or heard anyone even make a comment about it, much less a big deal - it's absolutely normal, trust me.

Above all, remember that you're doing this to make your life better. It's rather like losing weight, in that in order to achieve your true goals of self-improvement and greater happiness you need to approach it sensibly. Getting to your goal weight is meaningless if you're malnourished and exhausted, and getting your degree is meaningless if you're a burned out nervous wreck. Take it as slow as you need to, remember to take care of yourself along the way, and you'll be fine.

Original Post by x17star17x:

Growing up everyone thought that I looked like my mom because we were both pretty heavy. Chubby cheeks, thick in the middle, twins if I might add. After I lost 175 pounds, I knew I looked very different, but it wasn't until I saw my dad that I had an "OMG! I LOOK LIKE MY DAD!" moment. I never knew we had such similar features under my chubby cheeks. It was almost creepy :)

The same thing happened to me! I always thought I looked like my mom, but after losing 30 pounds I realized that was just because of the extra weight. I actually have my dad's bone structure (and nose... ).

The biggest OMG moment I had was after I lost 25 or so pounds. I was going to go clubbing with my boyfriend, and was feeling bold so I was shopping for something really sexy. I went to Torrid (a plus-size store for young adults that carries 12 and above) figuring they would have some good stuff. The salesgirl took one look at me and said, "There's no way you're a 12." I thought she was just being nice, but she was right - the 12 fell off me. I had been a tight 14 when I started! I was surprised I was that much smaller, but really shocked that it was noticeable - I just didn't see it, myself. Still don't some days, but we all know how that is...

I went from a 42DD to a 36 (maybe 34 now?)DD when I lost my 30 pounds. So the breasts themselves did get somewhat smaller, but they stayed in the same proportion with my torso. They're not noticeably saggier, but then I lost the weight fairly slowly... and of course when you're talking about natural DDs, the term "saggy" becomes somewhat relative. :-)

The amount you're losing plays a role, but the way your particular body disposes of fat is probably the most important factor. I lose very evenly all over, hence the boob preservation; some people lose from the breasts first, some not at all. There are a few other posts on this topic where people have shared stories from every point on the spectrum; the consensus seems to be that you can't really tell until you lose the weight, but pretty much no matter what happens, they agree with vron: it's totally worth it.

An idea: Weigh it whole, eat the edible parts, and weigh what's left. The difference is then what you actually consumed, and you can get an accurate calorie count. The only downside is you don't have the exact number until after you eat it, which may make budgeting awkward.

My experience is that there's a definite shape difference (i.e. when I got curvy 12s that fit, the normal 12s and 14s were big enough, but didn't fit - too big in the waist). I'm a pretty pronounced hourglass, though.

Penny - congrats on all the good vibes you've got going on. That meal sounds amazing!

Yolie - Great job keeping the cooking up! It's one of my favorite hobbies, too. I wish I could pursue it here at school, but the common kitchen is barely this side of functional... and is down four flights of stairs from my room, which is in turn too small to house basic cooking supplies. *sigh* Don't worry too much about the missed week, just start figuring out how to work it back into your routine.

Misty - Sorry to hear about your FIL, I hope he and your family are doing okay.

Short post today, I'm not doing so well. Hate to be negative, but I'm burning out over schoolwork and a grad school application I feel ridiculous for attempting, and between all the stress and PMS I'm feeling crappy and I'm weighing in 6-9 pounds over where I was a month ago. At this point, I still have no idea how much of it is water retention, how much will drop once the stress is lifted, etc. - but for now I feel, well, fat. :-p The kicker is I don't want to start trying to lose right now, partly because I still don't know how much of it is actual biomass gain, and partly because I'm doing fairly well with not eating emotionally, and I don't want to start emotionally not eating (if that makes sense).

Oh, well. End of negativity.

My boyfriend proposed at a Blue Man Group concert. We had been planning the outing for a couple weeks, and a bunch of our friends were coming with. The day of the concert he was really stressed out, but I put it down to the fact that he hates going into the city and really hates organizing large groups of people.

Before the concert, while everyone's getting seated, there's a marquee above the audience that runs across messages like "No cameras," etc. Once pretty much everyone has found their seats, they start running things like "Is ___ here? It's ___'s birthday. Let's all sing Happy Birthday to ___!" and then the words to the song (which everyone sings), then things like "Is ___ here? Stand up so we can all see you. There is absolutely nothing special about ___, but that's all the more reason to love them. We love you, ____." (Which everyone also says together.) Then one of them was "Are Joy and John here tonight? Please stand up so we can all see you." So we stand up, and they put a spotlight on us. It goes on, as John drops to one knee next to me. "Joy, John has something to ask you. Let's all help him ask: 'Will you marry me?'" Which everyone of course asks together. I said yes, there was crazy applause, we were both crying, the whole works.

Heh. I still tear up a little when I tell the story. It was the middle of finals week, too. Good thing my last exam was earlier that day, I was kind of a scatterbrain for the rest of the week.

Original Post by javagen3:

Original Post by seldonlives:

Calorie free, huh? Well, I have an article to write tonight... so how about a Killian's Red to start, and maybe a shot of Jameson's. No, make that a generous glass. 12-year reserve, if you've got it.

You know what? I've got writer's block. Leave the bottle.

 *Notices empty bottles on counter. Brings new one. And coffee

 Best bartender in the world!

Mostly reading tonight, so I'll just take some hot sake to curl up with. Dang heat's still not on...

*heads into cosy corner booth with sake, books, and small blue unicorn for company*

Oh, and a vodka cranberry for my unicorn - he's partial to Stoli.