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1. History with weight loss:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:
And now just go ahead and make that first post!
I'm Rachel. I'm 21 and have two semesters of college left (I'll be done December 2009). I'm also studying math and linguistics (it's not that weird! . . . I'm going to stop with the parentheses now). Technically I'm just a math major, but my MATH thesis is going to be on theoretical syntax models of machine translation. : )
So my history with weight loss was more or less non-existent until recently. I have been overweight/obese all of my life. I think I started college 5'6" and over 200 lbs. I was on some medication for a while that slowly made me creep up to around 245. I took a semester off in Spring 2007 for an unrelated health problem, and I immediately lost my appetite for several months. I think it might have also been from a medication I was taking, but it was a struggle to eat half a sandwich. The thought of food made me sick, so I tried to supplement calories with juice and that sort of thing. Drinking the calories was easier than eating them, even if it was too much sugar and not enough everything else. Over a few months I lost about 30 lbs., making me weigh in at 215, which is where I stayed for a while.
I still weighed 215 this time last year. I went back for the spring semester and I unintentionally lost about 30 lbs. I didn't have a scale or anything at the time; I only knew I was losing weight because I kept having to buy new jeans! Losing this weight made me realize that even though I had been overweight for as long as I could remember, it was still possible for me to lose weight and maybe even one day be a healthy weight. I ended up doing a summer internship in the middle of nowhere, and it was over the summer that I started counting calories and going to the gym and making a concious effort to reach a healthy weight.
I joined calorie count at the end of August, right before I went back to school, weighing about 165 lbs. As of this morning, I weigh 133.5 lbs., but I'd like to be down to 125 or so. I actually think it'd be really great to be 122 so that I can say I weigh half of what I used to!
I guess I'm joining this group because calorie counting can be hard when you live on campus and eat in the dining hall, and I know with school sometimes it can be really, really difficult to find the time to work out. I've been kind of bad about the calorie counting while I've been home for break. I gained a few pounds at first, but now I'm back to where I started the break at. I go back to school in less than a week, and once I get back, I'm going to be serious about the counting stuff again.
I don't know about interesting things about me . . . I love music, and I'm always going to concerts. Lately I've really been enjoying shopping or even just looking at and trying on clothes when I'm too poor to buy them. I couldn't tell you the last time I was able to go into a non-plus-sized store and try on their clothes, but it was probably sometime in early middle school. My college is pretty intense, so I feel like I don't have nearly as many interests now as I used to back in high school . . .
phew, that was a long post. Sorry for boring you all.
Hey, I'm Ellen. I'm 21 & about to begin my last semester of college. I joined CC because my mom (my long-time diet buddy) is using it as a support system for her diet. Right now I'm 5'6.5" and 140lbs; my goal is in the 125-130lb area, which although it sounds like only 10-15 lbs has been really hard for me to break into! I'd like to reach my goal by college graduation so I can be ready for summer and feel great!
My history with weight loss reaches back to highschool where I was the tallest out of my girlfriends and always felt like the biggest, too. I "dieted" but really just ate less and usually for 3-5 days before I'd go binge on a whole pizza...or two. In college, my routine became waffle with butter for breakfast, 3-6 grilled cheeses for lunch (I know, I know...), pizza for dinner or whatever else was being served, drinking Thurs-Sun mixing alcohol with lemonade, sprite, or whatever sugary drinks were around, and usually having chocolate milk, sprite, or juice for a beverage with meals. Not only did I get 5 cavaties, but my weight ballooned to 180lbs by February 2006. Hearing my friends comment on my suddenly-large behind and much "curvier" figure inspired me to try South Beach Diet. It worked so well combined with exercise that I became a complete fitness freak and worked out 6 days a week for a minimum of 2 hours a day. I lost almost 40lbs by summer. Then I went to Greece and had to lay off the exercise and refused to give up the delicious food. Gained a few pounds back but nothing major.
Sophomore & Junior year I was weight conscious but never actively dieting. I moved in with my boyfriend for the last few months of Junior year and by May 2008 I was 162lbs. I did SBDiet again and lost 25lbs, but got a little lax the last few months and have leveled out in the 140-145lb range. I certainly don't hate it -- I work in retail and started in June at a size 8 and now am in a size 4, but I'd like to be *leaner* .. I've recently realized that the low-carb, high-fat SBDiet is great for getting off those initial pounds but having plateaued I'm having difficulty getting that layer of fat off (the extra stuff you can see on the back of your bra when it squeezes, on your abs, etc.etc.) and adding a lot of SatFat with the foods allowed on the SBDiet isn't goin to do it!
So here I am...I'm trying to cut back carbs, fat, the full deal. I work 2 jobs and go to school part time so I get in the gym when I can but that's not very often. Any advice from other college students is welcome!
Having done a strict diet using only college dining-hall food, I can share some of what I ate to lose weight (of course, exercising helps!)
- Salad Bar (obviously). Skip the croutons, add a touch of bacon bits for flavor (literally, a TOUCH not a spoonful). Pile on the sunflower seeds, walnuts or pecans, vinagrette dressing (or 2 tbps -seriously not a giant squirt- of ranch/casaer if you really want it), and boiled/grilled chicken
- Chili for the hotdog station. My school has it near the hotdogs, I just put some in a cup or a bowl and eat it -- the meat usually isn't low fat but the beans have a lot of protein and are good for you!
- Delimeat Rollups - Usually there are delimeats either in the salad area or in a separate deli area; take or ask for turkey or ham slices (bologna is NOT healthy) with cheese -- remember the cheese isn't low fat so keep these down to 2-3 rollups if you can. Just a good way to get a sandwich with no bread
- Egg whites - this takes some getting used to, but hardboiled eggs in the morning will keep you full for a long time and have nothing but protein (all the cholesterol & fat is in the yolk). I put a little pepper on them and dip them in a tiny bit of ketchup (not too much because ketchup has a lot of sugar)
- Chicken quesadillas - My dining hall serves chicken quesadillas from time to time, I just eat the insides because they're served on white tortillas. The insides are usually chicken, veggies, some sort of salsa, and a little cheese. It's filling and also makes a great salad topper
- Lettuce burger - you can make a lettuce burger with chicken or beef. Beef patties from dining halls are usually pretty greasy so although this is South Beach Diet appropriate, beef should be used rarely because it's fatty. Take a beef patty or chicken breast and place on a lettuce leaf (large, usually by a burger station if you have one). Add healthy toppings, like hummus (delicious on chicken), veggies, etc. Add cheese if absolutely necessary (remember the fat!), and top with another lettuce leaf or fold the bottom leaf over the top if it is big enough. The lettuce replaces the bread and keeps it from being messy!
- Seltzer/Soda water - I'm not a huge water drinker (although I should be); instead I drink seltzer. Buying it by the can ensures you can get some without sodium or sugar, but it's also at the dining hall (usually you can find it in the soda machine -- check the SPRITE tab and there is sometimes a little knob that says "soda" -- this is just plain soda water). Drinking seltzer helps trick your brain into thinking you're drinking soda because of the carbonation. Add a little lemon for some flavor.
Most important thing to remember when eating on campus -- do your best & be creative. Sometimes I have a craving for a grilled cheese and I just have to settle for full-fat cheese (but I get the 12-grain bread). You won't find ALL of your diet needs at the dining hall so you'll have to accept your setbacks and eat as healthy as you can where you can control it (places like salad dressing, for example -- try lettuce + feta + walnuts/pecans + chicken + vinagrette + a few craisins.. amazing and lower fat than ranch/caesar.. that's fat that you need to save for stuff you CAN'T replace like cheese)
Good luck!
Hey! I'm a 19 year old Theatre student in Kansas. I'll be getting my associates in May and transferring to a four year college in August. I'll probably be doing something with English or Business there.
I haven't really dieted much, but I've decided that I need to start eating healthier and I would like to lose some weight. I can't get much support from my friends because half of them don't really care what they eat and the other half can eat anything and not gain weight. I'm hoping I'll be able to find support here.
Hi there!
I'm a 21 year old Political Science major in BC (University of Victoria) in my fourth year of the BA program. In my first year at school I gained 15 pounds, and never managed to get it off. I'm 5'7, and down 5lbs from where I was (140) and would like to get down to somewhere between 120 and 125 (Where I was before I started this whole university thing).
Like everyone else here I'm pretty much looking for ways to lose the weight while sticking to a students budget, and am also interested in finding out ways to prepare fast healthy food for exam time/taking to school for lunch.
Hi everyone!
I'm a 20-year-old college student in Massachusetts. I'm in my junior year and I study environmental science. I joined Calorie Count over the summer, but when I got back to school I sort of ignored it until recently.
Right now, I'm 5'3" and 130 lbs (ish). That puts me at a healthy BMI, but I have a rather small frame, so I'd like to be at the lower end of the healthy range. My goal is to be about 120 pounds. I live on an urban campus, so I walk everywhere, and I've been working out at the gym 5-6 days a week.
This isn't my first time losing weight. When I was in high school, I lost about 35 pounds through Weight Watchers. I just remember being shocked when the scale at the doctor's office said 164--I knew I had to do something! I hit a plateau around 130, and I've been maintaining around 135 ever since. I'm now trying to lose a bit more.
To me, health is more important than the number on the scale. If I stay exactly the same weight I am now, but some of the flab on my tummy and in my thighs is replaced with nice, toned muscle, I'd be thrilled.
Hi I'm Karleigh. =)
I'm 19 and only in my second semester of college. I have been a ballerina all my life and am majoring it in school. I am 5'4'' and have never been over 110 until I came to college. I've gained almost 10 pounds, and it doesn't seem like much, but being a dancer I need to watch myself. My eating habits are ridiculously terrible, I just eat junk food everyday.
I need help figuring out healthy food to eat and people to help keep me on track! I don't have a disorder, but I am constantly thinking of how overweight I am and it controls my life each day but I never seem to be able to keep to my goal because no one is there to help me with it. I just want to be healthy so my habits will improve as I get older and to keep the excess weight off that I've gained in the last few months.
Thanks! =)
Hi I'm Eileen, I'm 23 and I've had a long history struggling with weight(since junior high). I have issues with both binging/overeating and heavy restriction. It seems that I let food have control over me. I have never been able to let food just be food and not an emotional go to friend. I'm basically looking to look at food in a healthy way. My plan is to stick with 1200-1500cals a day. I'm hoping to get down to 130-135lbs which means I have to lose 10-15lbs(i'm 5'8 and 145lbs right now). I don't really know my highest weight becuase I didn't like looking at the scale, but the number I remember is 180 something. Anyway, I want to wish everyone on here best of luck with their journey!
Hi I'm sumayya
I am almost 19 years old, in my first year at university. I have been overweight all my life. I don't actually weigh myself a lot b/c I'm kinda scared to. I did a few months ago though, I was about 200lbs. I'm around 5'6 and I think I need to lose at least 40 lbs.I go to University in Canada. I'm in math but I'm also very interested in English definitely want to write a book one day! As you all know eating from the cafeteria every day does NOT make this weight loss thing easier!. I have started eating more fruit recently. I love fruit. Can't stand veggies at all as much as I have tried to eat salads I just can't. Which again doesn't make life easier. I started running two days ago and I really enjoy it even though I'm pretty out of shape and its more walking then running some of the time. But I am trying to improve that day by day.
any suggestions would be great:)
Hi I'm Mauren
I'm almost 21 in my third year at school.
1. History with weight loss: I was always overweight but very active in high school. I was an athlete with tons of muscle weighing 163 pounds. In my senior year, I quit the team and started putting on weight. When I entered college, I was 170. After first year, that number went up to 180. In second year, I peaked at 197 lbs and knew I had to do something about my weight. In August of 2008, I started dieting. By December 2008 I weighed 165. Then my weight went up a little bit and I had to crack down again. In the beginning of April 2009, I weighed 155 (my lowest ever) Now I'm back up to 160. I want to get down to the low 140's before the summer ends and ideally, be at 138 before my last year starts (-22 pounds)
2. History with Calorie Count: I'm brand new! This is the first time I've joined an online community
3. Reason for joining this group: I need help! I can lose weight but I have a lot of trouble maintaining. I guess you could say I have two settings: eating everything I want and eating nothing I want. I need to find a balance I can live with.
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests: I think I'm similar to a lot of people here in that I want to live up to my potential but without getting down on myself where I am
Hey everyone!
My name's Abby and I am new to CC! I'm really excited about keeping meticulous track of my weight/intake/exercise. I hope that between the advice and the motivation of these forums, and my own personal will power and determination that I can once and for all conquer my "weight problem."
1. I have tried to lose weight before on diet alone by becoming a vegetarian and another time by limiting my carbs. Each time I would end up losing about 30 pounds, lose interest in the diet and then pile they weight back on.
2. I'm new!
3. I thought I could relate with other college students struggling with their weight.
4. I'm a nursing student, I absolutely LOVE to garden (I can't wait for my tomatoes to mature), I love indie rock, wearing dresses and vintage furniture!
So I'm new to the group, been on CC for a year. When i first joined I went from 155 to 139 (Im 5'4), then started dating a guy (who can eat whatever he wants and not gain weight) and went right back up to 155 :(
I will graduate from a community college (in a week) and transfering to a 4 year univeristy in the fall and want to look awesome, and even better, feel good about myself
So for the past few months I started back up, working out 5-6 times a week, including cardio, weights, and yoga, and watching what im eating, making sure I burn ALOT more than I eat. So far I lost only 5 lbs :( but gained alot of muscle and toned up, but still flabby and need to lose at least 15 lbs. It sucks when I was a size 5 but then went back up to a 9, its depressing... hoepully this will help...
Hi, I am new to the group, also fairly new to CC. I joined about a month ago.
I am about to be a fifth year senior, heading into my final semester for a BA in Political Science. I am also preparing to take my LSATs this summer and possibly writing my senior thesis. I work full time at the front desk of a hotel, too.
I have been thin my entire life and I've not really had any experience with dieting. Over the past four years I've gained about 10lbs. My goal is to lose about 15, which will put me at my weight as a junior in high school. As of this post I've actually managed to lose the first 10lbs :) I know that the last 5 will be much harder.
I'm very bad at estimation so before I started on CC I thought I was eating about the right number of calories a day. Turns out, it was way too many. Starting to lose the weight has also motivated me to start working out, which is excellent since that is a habit I've never been able to get into.
I joined this group because of the specific challenges to weight loss that exist being in college, the stress, exams, irregular schedules, late night studying, being broke, unhealthy options, alcohol, etc. Alcohol is my number one diet buster :/ Hopefully this will help to motivate me!
HEY EVERYONE! My name is Bronwyn (pronounced like BRON-WIN) 1. I have done EVERYTHING with my weight loss. I have been a weight watcher member three times. Each time I did lose an amount of weight to be proud of, but after I left the program, I slowly gained the weight back. When I was much younger, I tried slimfast- that didn't work for me. For the past 2 weeks, I've been going to the gym every day for about an hour and writing down everything I've been eating but I feel like I need a kick in the rear to help me try harder! 2. This is my first day on calorie count. 3. I'm going to San Francisco on June 9th for a week long vacation and I'M DYING TO LOOK AMAZING. I want to be able to take pictures and look great in them. PLEASE HELP ME! 4. I'm a 3rd year student at FAU in Boca Raton, FL studying to be a family and marriage counselor. I am 22 years old and I'll be 23 on the 23rd of September! My boyfriend, Wren and I want to move to San Francisco next year to finish our schooling and start an amazing life out there!
Hey there! Im Hannah, im 20 and im finishing off my last semester of University in New Zealand. I always danced when i was a teenager so never worried about my weight at all. Now after several years of flatting and eating gross student food im still petite but ive lost all the toning I used to have. Im only wanting to lose those few extra kilos but I havnt changed weight up or down in 2 years so I think Im going to have to really work at it. Im 112lbs but only 5' 3'' (I had to convert all that from metric, whew!) and ideally I would like to get back to my old 107lbs.Started calorie count this morning, just to motivate myself, and keep be honest! (My 21st is coming up in a month so I thought this would be a good goal to work towards).
I love dancing, and ive just gone back to adult ballet classes (my other motivation for losing weight). Like a lot of you uni is very hectic and its hard to fit in as many things as you would like to do. But I still find time to read, and hang out a bit.
Yikes have to run to class!
Hi everyone, I'm Liv.
This coming fall I am starting university to study sciences and play basketball. Besides the fact that I have played volleyball, basketball, tennis, and soccer all the way through high school I have always struggled with my weight. Especially this past year, I have put on 20 lbs do to emotional and stress eating. I'm really nervous for university and especially the 'meal card' that pretty much allows me to eat anything I want and as much as I want!
Do any of you have the meal card, any tips? I'm really scared to pack on that freshman fifteen, since I already did that in grade twelve haha
Hope you're all doing well!
Hi everyone, my name is Nicole and i am currently in my 3rd year of university studying business (marketing) and I eventually want to take my degree into the fashion industry. I dance, do yoga & pilates, bike and i'm starting to run. I just started CC today and so far i'm loving it. I am 20 years old, 5'9 and 150 pounds so i am at a healthy weight however i don't like my body. I know i'm not overweight or anything like that i just feel like i need to lose weight to like my body. My goal is to lose 10 pounds which i think i can definitly do. I'm so glad CC has these forums, i really think all this support will help me reach my goal!
I'm Haley... I'm 20. 5'4.5 and usually around 110 lbs. (though after the break I weighed in at 115! ughh thanksgiving...) but anyways. I have a small fram and would like to get back to where i was before I started binge eating...... about 100-105 lbs. I'm a marathon runner majoring in Kinesiology.
Hey! I am about the same height and weight as you! I am about 5'4.5", 5'5"ish, Was maintaining around 115 but am now up to about 118-120. UGH. I am looking to get down to around 112, but really anything between 110-115 would be great! I have been having weight issues since I can remember, but have only learned the healthy way to eat in the past 2 years. I have been struggling with bulimia as well, so I am trying to learn how to manage my weight without overeating. I am a Psych major and I also run, but mostly 5ks and 10ks!
1. History with weight loss:
2. History with Calorie Count:
3. Reason for joining this group:
4. Some interesting details about yourself, such as your job, your family, your pets and your interests:
Hey I'm Riss
I'm 5'1" and grew up in Tokyo where all of my friends were always super DUPER thin... I mean throughout most of high school I was about 110-115. The summer before my senior year I lost two lbs and was able to stay at 108 for the longest time... and then I started getting super duper lenient with my diet especially when I got stressed out and tired. I didn't have a scale over the summer... but now that I'm in college and have, once again, been eating awfully... I'm now 120 and I've noticeably gotten bigger, especially in my hips and thighs. I've always wanted to be around 105.
I wanted to join this group because I just need support. I love my roommate but she's one of those super duper healthy people who pretty much only eats salads and protein and exercises constantly and is just overall great... and I don't have time to go to the gym all the time and I still get super stressed out and really hungry for carbs and desserts. I really just want to start eating more balanced diets... more salad and more fruit and more protein. Sometimes I skip meals because of class or because I'm exhausted and can't be bothered to walk down to the dining hall. I really need to just overall change my life... but I don't feel like I can even start until finals are over and after Christmas break...
