Hi there! :)
For the past few weeks I've only lurked on these boards, but I saw lots of threads devoted to groups and challenges and I really wanted to join one, but it seems like a lot of them are full or not accepting new members, or just everyone already knows everyone! I feel kinda like the new kid at the new school. So... I was wondering if anyone was in my shoes, new or just a lurker, but wanted to try a group for the first time.
My name's Brittany. I'm 22. I was born in Florida and last year I graduated with a degree in history. For the past 7 months I've lived in South Korea and taught English. I was about 235 then, when I started, and now I weight 186. I'll admit that a lot of my success is due to the strange foods I'm subjected to in the school cafeteria and at my homestay, but I've also started jogging since I came, which I'm proud of. I always wanted to be the kind of person who jogged, but didn't think I could do it. But once I left my hectic college schedule (and my favorite chain restaurants) behind, it got a lot easier. I'm about 5'6", and my first goal is 150, so I'm just over halfway there.
Part of the reason I want to find some buddies is because I'm currently a little tempted to let myself settle at this weight. I went from a size 18 to a size 12, and the change feels so nice, and I feel so much better when I look in the mirror, that lately I'm close to developing a "good enough" attitude. But I don't want that! I want to keep going. I'm going back to the US in July, and I'm hoping to be down to 150 by then, just in time for swimsuit season! The hardest thing for me, like a lot of people I'm sure, is motivation and cravings. Forcing myself to go out jogging when I'd rather stay in and read or watch TV (or snack!)
So is anyone interested? We could just get to know each other, post our successes (and non-successes :), and kick each other's butts into gear when necessary.
Hi Brittany,
I'd love to join 
. I'm pretty new here myself and have posted a few times but moreso a "lurker". You're right about feeling that the new kid on the block with everyone else pretty much knowing each other already. So..
My name is Stephanie and I live in Wisconsin. I'm currently 8 pounds away from my first goal of getting down to 160. My ultimate goal is also 150 so we both have a common goal. I would agree that my most difficult area is getting comfortable with just a little weight loss and then I give up, end up gaining it back and then find myself in the same boat again. It's been like this since I had my youngest daugher 10 years ago. I work in an office and do walk on my treadmill for exercise so I have seen a difference since I started over 3 weeks ago with 5 pounds lost already.
Looking forward to getting to know you and whoever else joins in.
Stephanie
Hi Stephanie!
Looks like we might be alone! :) That's okay... it's nice to meet you! My best friend lives in Wisconsin, in Eau Claire.
So I guess we can compare notes! What are your methods? Are you a strict calorie counter? I wish I could be, but it's impossible, since I live in Korea and half the time I'm not even sure what I'm eating, and even when I know, it's not in the database. My big downfall in the past was eating out at restaurants. I was such a social eater, that whenever I wanted to get together with a friend it would be at a restaurant (or a movie with a big tub of popcorn.)
But I also was never able to really stick to an exercise program while I was in college. I would work out for a few weeks, or a month, then quit. Now I'm a jogger. I used to just go everyday and run until I was tired, then walk, but now I'm in week one of the "Couch to 5k" program. My dad's a big runner, so he'd be thrilled if I ran a 5k with him when I get back to America. Finally, almost begrudgingly, I've come to appreciate jogging, and though we still have little fights along the way, days where I don't want to do it, I think we're in a committed lifetime relationship now. :)
So what's your secret? Congratulations on being 5 pounds down already!
~briy
Hi Brittany, Stephani and Renee! I am Dee. I am also new here and would love to meet people as well. I'm currently at 176 and looking into getting down to 120. So I have around 56 pounds to lose. I started Weight Watchers last January and lost 12.8 lbs. so far. I joined a gym last week and have been attending everyday except Sunday. I really love it!
I'm 18 and a third-year Biology major. Sugar is my downfall, which is so hard. I'm still struggling now.
Oh yeah, I'm from Modesto, California. Hmm... Most of what the people at the meetings suggested were fruits, or the Weight Watchers ice cream bars (surprise, surprise! hahaha), or some SF jell-o or pudding, or the Hostess 100 calorie pack cupcakes which I totally hate. I just don't like eating ice creams or anything like that because sometimes I can't resist and I end up eating more than I should. So for me, it's all or nothing. Hahahaha.
My other problem is on apple.. lol.. Everytime I eat an apple I end up being more hungry. So I try to drink water with it. But still I'm hungry.
Oh yeah, I'm quitting WW. :)
Hey, room for one more? I've been looking for a group--I'm a couple weeks shy of 20 and a lot of the groups with people around my age have people going for goals that kind of freak me out, aka, "I'm 110 and want to be 95 pounds." I'd love to be able to chat with people who are more in my league!
My name's Ashley, I'll be twenty on the 28th, and I'm a sophomore college student in New Jersey. I'm 5'2 and started at about 151, and now I'm down to about 134. :-) My original goal was 135, then once I got there I decided to shoot for 125 but now I'm rethinking it to 128, 129, just so I can get under that 130 mark! But I've already gone from a size 9/11 (depending) to just buying a pair of size 5 jeans today (and they're the same brand I used to wear the 11s in, so exciting!), and honestly, I don't really have a desire to go down much more than a 5. However, I lose weight really slowly so those last five-ten pounds are going to take me some time!
As for the motivation to keep going, Brittany, I know how you feel! I was perfectly content at a size 7, a size I hadn't seen since probably middle school. But now that I can fit into a 5, a size I haven't seen since probably pre-puberty, I can say that they feel SO MUCH BETTER than the 7s!
Hello Everyone!
I'm so glad we have a few more joining in. I've been busy the last few days so not able to check in and post. It sounds like we are all pretty new at this stuff and that's cool. I've tried this before and I count as close as I can. I'm sure I'm off a little but for the most part if I know the ingredients I'll do searches like that and then try to combine the numbers I find to try and get as close to a total calorie count as possible.
I think though that not just calorie counting is important but also portion control. What we think a normal portion is may not be the case. I heard that a piece of meat like a pork chop or something, should be the size of the palm of your hand and that would be the right portion.
Another suggestion is to eat slowly. I know that when I inhale my food I don't realize when I'm full so I'll overeat. If eat slow it down and eat at a normal pace I know when I'm full and so won't overeat.
Those are just a couple things to think on while dieting. I don't really do too much exercising except for my treadmill. I try to walk it at least 5 times a week now and with the watching what I'm eating - no soda and no sweets - I have lost 5lbs so far. I weighed in this morning and nothing lost but nothing gained either. But I'm only 3 weeks into this thing. I have 8 pounds to go to get to my first goal weight of 160. That would be my "I'm ok with that weight" but my true goal would be 150-155. We'll see...my motivation just isn't the greatest and my sweet tooth does tend to take over.
It sounds like we all have the same common goals and weaknessess. We should be a good group to keep each other accountable and encouraged.
Stephanie
Hello all...I'm new to Calorie Count too. I have been reading the threads and using the tools on here for a while but never actually "joined" until recently. It's awesome that there are so many 20-something-ish people that are in the same boat as me and trying to lose weight.
My name's Athena. I live in FL. I am 5'7" and weigh 225 right now. My first goal is to get to 200 by June, maybe even sooner. I don't want to overdo it though. My overall goal is to be @ 140 in a year.
So far I am having a pretty easy time with calorie counting. I find it hard to eat my full 1500 cals some days, though. I eat a lot of fruits, veggies, lean protein and such so I never really feel hungry. My downfall is definately dinner. I love pasta and rice. :( I'm already seeing minor results though. I know it's just b/c of water weight coming off but my rings are starting to move on my fingers and my face is less "bloated" looking. Simple little things, I know, but still acheivements none the less. :)
My weak point is DEFINITELY dieting...I can usually get myself to go the gym, but I loooove things like tostito chips and pizza and cookies (especially tostito chips--my biggest weakness!), and I can usually reason myself that it won't do THAT much damage. SIIIIGH. I really slipped this week (home on spring break) so hopefully when I go back to school I can get back on track!
Hey guys! Can I join the group too? I am a part of a group already but it is not really active- all we do is have weigh-ins.
Well, if i can, I am 5' 8.5", almost 5' 9". I started at 163. Now, I am at 152. I would love to be 125-135 by the summer.....and look good in a bathing suit. :)
I was just on my springbreak so I did really really really badly. I ate way too much and got a minimal amount of exercise. I made some brownies and went through them in two or three days! Need to get back on track....
I usually run everyday except one day of the week. I do weight training monday, tuesday, thursday, and friday (its a class and if i miss the class, I do it to make up for the miss).
Right now, I need to lose my addiction to Diet Coke and coffee (the caffeine). Also, I need to STOP eating fries and ice cream (I LOVE ice cream). Also, I cannot resist cake at parties and need to resist. Also, I have frozen pizzas at my house to eat at times and need to stop eating them as much. I eat way too much pizza too!!!
So thats about it. Good Luck and I hope this group stays active and running. Soo.....should we have a weigh-in day? Friday, Saturday, or Sunday works best for me.
Any of those days work for me. :-) The only thing that stinks is that I have to use the gym scale, and so it's hard for me to pinpoint my exact weight the way I could with a digital scale (this scale is like the ones at the doctors). Ah well. That's how it is while I'm at school!
A weigh in day sounds good to me. I will usually weigh myself on Fridays so that I can stay on track over the weekends. So, if I see that I've lost weight Friday morning I'll be less tempted to blow it over the weekend.
Another idea could be a monthly or weekly goal/challenge for ourselves. Like for example...my weak point is staying faithful to exercise so this week I set a personal goal of exercising 5 days this week. I wrote it in my journal to keep myself accountable and I was successful in exercising 5 days this past week. So, I will again set that as my goal. Once I get in the habit of exercising 5 days a week I'll then set my next goal of either my speed on the treadmill, incline or the length of time on it. I haven't yet decided. So....what are some of your goals for the week ahead?
PS - All you spring breakers...don't sweat it if you've blown while on break. We all have our moments. Just start today as a brand new day.
Original Post by sandclan:
A weigh in day sounds good to me. I will usually weigh myself on Fridays so that I can stay on track over the weekends. So, if I see that I've lost weight Friday morning I'll be less tempted to blow it over the weekend.
Another idea could be a monthly or weekly goal/challenge for ourselves. Like for example...my weak point is staying faithful to exercise so this week I set a personal goal of exercising 5 days this week. I wrote it in my journal to keep myself accountable and I was successful in exercising 5 days this past week. So, I will again set that as my goal. Once I get in the habit of exercising 5 days a week I'll then set my next goal of either my speed on the treadmill, incline or the length of time on it. I haven't yet decided. So....what are some of your goals for the week ahead?
PS - All you spring breakers...don't sweat it if you've blown while on break. We all have our moments. Just start today as a brand new day.
My mom looked at me like I was crazy when I said that I hadn't been eating well over break. "Well, you're on BREAK. Don't worry about it!" So I took her advice and didn't worry about it. :-) I know that it's not going to be my likely eating pattern--a lot of us are home for this one week which means a lot of going out for lunch/dinner, a lot of parties, etc. I mean, when I'm actually at home I eat pretty well. And I know that when I get back to school I'll be back on track.
Original Post by minerva_moon:
Original Post by sandclan:
A weigh in day sounds good to me. I will usually weigh myself on Fridays so that I can stay on track over the weekends. So, if I see that I've lost weight Friday morning I'll be less tempted to blow it over the weekend.
Another idea could be a monthly or weekly goal/challenge for ourselves. Like for example...my weak point is staying faithful to exercise so this week I set a personal goal of exercising 5 days this week. I wrote it in my journal to keep myself accountable and I was successful in exercising 5 days this past week. So, I will again set that as my goal. Once I get in the habit of exercising 5 days a week I'll then set my next goal of either my speed on the treadmill, incline or the length of time on it. I haven't yet decided. So....what are some of your goals for the week ahead?
PS - All you spring breakers...don't sweat it if you've blown while on break. We all have our moments. Just start today as a brand new day.
My mom looked at me like I was crazy when I said that I hadn't been eating well over break. "Well, you're on BREAK. Don't worry about it!" So I took her advice and didn't worry about it. :-) I know that it's not going to be my likely eating pattern--a lot of us are home for this one week which means a lot of going out for lunch/dinner, a lot of parties, etc. I mean, when I'm actually at home I eat pretty well. And I know that when I get back to school I'll be back on track.
Absolutely You have spring break...I have my weekends. That's when I get thrown off track. Totally out of any routine.
Hey all --
I'm fairly new as well this will be my 3rd weigh in this week. I'm 25 yrs old, 5' 4 and my starting weight was 178. I'm down to 172. so I feel like I'm on the right track. All through college I wore size 14s and then finally recently starting wearing 12s. So I cleaned out my closet, threw out all of the 14s and made a vow to never have to wear them again. I am going on vacation to Myrtle Beach in July with my family (including my older sister that weighs 110 even though she has a 1 year old daughter -- even though I'm fairly used to having the hot older sister I don't want to look like the one that just had the baby!) And I wanna look hot in a bathing suit of course! My goal right now is 155. Once I get there... I'll decide where to go next 
How did everyone do over the weekend?? Are you guys all weighing in on the same day as each other? or just on your own?
Hi everyone! My name is Staci. I haven't felt like a real part of any groups yet, I am new (about a week) and am excited to have found a place that I can watch my calories, exercise and weight!
I lost 57 lbs from Sept. 2006 to June 2007. I gained back 15, then lost another 5 lbs. I am 5'8", weigh around 155 lbs (It's been fluctuating ugh), and am 35 years old with two kids (both teenagers weee). I am very active, I do something every day..usually an hour of elliptical/bike/treadmill, plus some type of weights and abs every other day. I also walk my dogs and climb up and down my stairs to push my calorie loss higher.
My sister is really getting fit at a faster pace than I am and it's frustrating. She thinks I'm eating too many calories now. I think I was eating too little before. I want to prove to her that I'm doing the right thing by following the calorie plan here on CC!
I'm in college getting a game design degree. I love making friends who can support each other!! I was going to do a weigh in every Monday, so tomorrow morning I will weigh in. I think I've gained some weight since I wasn't eating enough calories. But I can get there right?! :)
Welcome to the group!!!
So, I think the weigh in should be on Friday. Its ok if you miss it so don't feel bad if you do! So..our first weigh in is this Friday!!!! I think a chart should be created every week for each weigh in, so everyone can see everyone else's progress easily. I could do it this week.
Also, I LOVE the idea about having goals, I think they should be monthly. Set a goal, encourage other group members, and achieve. So...the first goal we should set should be by, lets say April 20th. So what is everyone's goal to reach by that day? Remember to set a safe goal. If you lose too much, too soon you will most likely gain it all back again.
My goal (for the above) is 143.
Cool. So if anyone has any problems about what I have just said please say so. Sorry if I am a little controling but I like to be organized and have everyting planned.
Fridays sound good to me! And don't worry, africalover, you don't sound controlling. ;-) I'm glad someone offered to make up charts!
My goal for April 20th is 132. It's a small goal but my weight loss has been slow moving. :-) I also want to go to the gym at least five times a week, preferably six.
My goal is to reach 150 by April 20th. I also want to continue going to the gym 6 times a week, and make myself rest on the 7th day (I'm really bad about that lol).
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New forum message Help! Bored alone at my parents' with all this delicious food! by sortoflikeagirl 03:06 |