Stopped lurking to say hello!

darwintheboxer

Hello all,

I've been a member for about 3 weeks now and finally decided to stop lurking. I found mfp through the iTouch app. I'd been seriously thinking about starting a formal exercise regimen (joining a gym) and dieting since this summer but kept putting it off. Things changed when I went to visit my parents in October and stepped on the scale (until a few weeks ago, I didn't own a scale). I knew my weight had been creeping up but I was sick to see I was at my highest weight again (175 lbs). About 6 years ago I went from 173 to 138 lbs with exercise and moderate calorie restriction (I only actually calories counted for the first 2 months) in about 6 months. But then I stopped going to the gym and slowly gained the weight back. In 2008, I lived in Sweden without a car and did a lot of walking, hardly ever ate out (very expensive in Sweden) and was probably about 150-155 lbs.

Anyway, here I am. My approach to weight loss has been what it was last time. Eat mostly the same foods but in moderation. I have cut out soda and juices, except for a special treat like the microbrew cream soda a friend gave me. I have been adding more fruit to my diet (always have been pretty good about veggies) to replace the cookies and ice cream I used to eat. But I do still save space for dark chocolate. Probably the biggest change has been eating breakfast every day. Another strategy that worked well last time was to stop eating out for lunch. So no regular Chipotle, Jimmy John's, Noodles & Company, etc.... Way too many calories for one meal.

My father suffers from high cholesterol (genetic) and my mother has high blood pressure. My blood pressure is great, but I had my first cholesterol test last year and while my LDL was normal, my HDL was low. So some exercise is definitely in order. Since I like to exercise but found going to the gym very inconvenient, I bought an elliptical machine and am also starting some strength training exercises at home.

So far, so good. I am hoping to reach 160 by Christmas.

Cheers.

2bFitNTrim

Welcome!! I understand how you feel b/c I tend to be on the quiet side. But this site allows me to be more expressive than normal, and it's great. Your reasons to drop a few lbs and work out are good ones. Good luck on your journey. :happy: