former professional athlete gone run to fat =(

lampshadefanatic

Female here, early 20's. I used to compete in the mixed martial arts (MMA) circuit, but have since hung up my gloves, probably for good. I am about 5'2" and currently weight 158 lbs. I am now a full-time student working in retail to pay the bills. I devastated my metabolism while fighting because of the brutal process of 'cutting weight', wherein athletes lose all the fat possible off our bodies and then spend several days not eating or drinking, all the while exercising intensely and spending hours on end in an infrared sauna; this is done to make the lowest weight class possible. Cutting slowed my metabolism to a sluggish crawl, and towards the end of my career I would consume 4 tbsp a day (nothing else) of peanut butter for weeks on end and see negligible weight loss, my metabolism was so damaged. I was also bulimic during this time. Since I stopped fighting about <2 years ago I have put on 30 lbs, all while eating sensibly and exercising moderately. Only now am I able to consume 'regular' (1500 calories a day) quantities of food in a day without putting on fat. To me this signals that my body has finally recovered to a point where I can place some calorie constraints on myself in order to lose the pudge I've accumulated.

My ideal weight is 135 lbs which sounds quite heavy for my height but with my muscle mass taken into consideration it's around 19% body fat. I am transferring to a new University in September and would like to show up looking smoking hot, not like the 'cute, but chubby' chick I've become. I don't expect to lose more than 10 lbs before that time, but to do even that would be a tremendous ego boost. I am also going to be renting at a house with a hot tub which is simultaneously exciting and terrifying, as I would love to have friends over for a beer and a soak but am terrified at the prospect of them seeing me in a bikini.

Anyways, I'm looking forward to spending the next few months with you fine folks and I'll try my best to heed whatever sage-like advice you can offer me!

P.S. Some friends wouldn't be amiss in this situation, I'd love to have support and to support others alike in my weight loss journey