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100DaysToGetFitEmma16

hey everyone, this is my first week of using MFP! I'd love to make some new friends who can help me reach my goal of losing about 20 pounds. Here's a bit about me...


My name is Emma. I just started college. I'm not obese but I've always felt like the only girl in the group that was overweight. I've been feeling that way since I was 8. I had some cholesterol and triglycerides problems since then too. My blood levels are thankfully in healthy ranges now, but the levels can get lower and better. The reason for this is because I started exercising more. I haven't lost weight though. I'm slowly gaining this last year. My highest weight was 148 and I am currently 144. I'm only 5'2" so that's a bit too much. I don't want to be what some call a stick. I want to have a nice body. I don't want to worry about having my stomach stick out when I sit. I've always been so insecure about my thighs. I hate that I can actually grab/pinch some of the fat. Now, I'm not asking for anyone to tell me to be happy with my body and I am not depressed or anything of the sort. But I feel like I can be better. I want to work for myself. I'm not here to become "thin." I want to change my lifestyle.

I feel that if I weigh 120-125 pounds, I'll be happy and confident. I don't know what I will look like at that weight but that's really my goal. I am a college student so I don't have time to get to the gym. I can fit in workout videos, whether JM 30DS, FitnessBlender videos, as well as Popsugar Fitness. I've been hearing mixed up things about lifting though. That if you have pounds to lose, gaining muscle will make you look bigger and weigh more. You have to lose some pounds first. I can do at home workouts or go out for a run. What do you all recommend?

I think my bigger problem is what I eat. I feel that I constantly cheat myself. Either by getting a sugary smoothie or coffee, or fast food once in a while. Or just eating mindlessly in the closet. It's not that I'm addicted to food. But I entered the 140s in December and it's increased since then because alI of those little choices add up. I don't want to be that girl anymore. I have my best friend's wedding coming up at the end of November. I'm going to a winter camp thing for a week in the middle of December. I want to look good and be confident for those events. I want to be able to go dress shopping and not feel that I have to "get the next size." I want to wear skinny jeans and feel like the button isn't going to pop or that I look fat. I hate that some jeans can't even go up my legs. At American Eagle (the only store that I can get some jeans from I feel) I'm sometimes a size 8 in super stretch. I just want to be smaller.

I want to get serious about losing these pounds that are holding me back. I'm ready for a new lifestyle. I just need some help.

If you could please help me and give me any sort of advice of better things to eat or fat burning cardio exercises, I would appreciate that.

Emma

100DaysToGetFitEmma16

bump

anna_jewel

Hi Emma,

Welcome to MFP< I have been here for almost 2 weeks. The choice to come and stick with the healthy change is a great start. Log in your food everyday, i find that planning my food in the morning or evening before, helps me a lot. I change it as the day goes on but i find i stick to healthy eating alot better than i didn't preplan. Add me as a friend, more support the better

refuseresist

add me if you like i am losing about 20 lb, and often let myself down by binging on crap.
I can make suggestions if you want but I am no expert.

ElBriano

Hi Emma,

Welcome to MFP. Lot's of people here with lot's of great stories and advice. One thing to note and remember, you have to find what works for and that you can live with.

- Overall, exercise is wonderful for changing the shape and composition of your body, but not necessarily for losing absolute weight.
- Calorie restriction works. Some people swear by low carb others by overall reduction. I say whatever is easiest for you to stick with.
* Don't over do it. - Start with easy changes that you can live with. Otherwise, you will not be able to maintain your healthier choices. I suggest add things to your diet before you take things away. Put more veggies on your plate and finish them before you eat the rest. Have that cookie, but only if you are still hungry after eating an apple. Getting proper nutrition in your diet is essential to quiet the cravings.
* Find a buddy for MFP. - Starting a lifestyle change, such as eating or exercising is always much easier if you have a friend do it with you.
* Read up on healthy choices - Find out what is healthy for you to get at that fast food restaurant. Or at least a healthier option. Really, really want that Big Mac? Ask them to hold the special sauce.
* Keep up with your food diary - At least initially or when you seem to not be losing weight. For me, it was a great tool to see why I thought that even though I was eating less, I wasn't losing weight. Helps ferret out hidden calories you could just as easily live without. Once you have a feel for how you are eating and are either losing the weight you want or are maintaining where you want to be, you probably don't have to update it as often. Of course, that is just me.

Hope this helps.

ElBriano

There are a lot of great intro links on the forums filled with great advice on how to get started and stick with it.

markrichtsspraytan

Hi Emma,

I am 5'2" also and weighed about 145 when I decided to get in shape. This was the summer between my freshman and sophomore year of college. I got down to 120 and have basically maintained +/- 6 lbs for 5 years now. I was on MFP back then, but I stopped a few years ago because I wanted to learn to make healthy choices without counting everything, and I was getting too obsessive. I'm back at it because I want to tone up more and I've started to eat a little worse, so I need to get back on track. I run and play soccer, as well as do weights at the gym a couple of time per week. Feel free to PM me.

100DaysToGetFitEmma16

Thank you so much!

100DaysToGetFitEmma16

Hi Emma,

Welcome to MFP. Lot's of people here with lot's of great stories and advice. One thing to note and remember, you have to find what works for and that you can live with.

- Overall, exercise is wonderful for changing the shape and composition of your body, but not necessarily for losing absolute weight.
- Calorie restriction works. Some people swear by low carb others by overall reduction. I say whatever is easiest for you to stick with.
* Don't over do it. - Start with easy changes that you can live with. Otherwise, you will not be able to maintain your healthier choices. I suggest add things to your diet before you take things away. Put more veggies on your plate and finish them before you eat the rest. Have that cookie, but only if you are still hungry after eating an apple. Getting proper nutrition in your diet is essential to quiet the cravings.
* Find a buddy for MFP. - Starting a lifestyle change, such as eating or exercising is always much easier if you have a friend do it with you.
* Read up on healthy choices - Find out what is healthy for you to get at that fast food restaurant. Or at least a healthier option. Really, really want that Big Mac? Ask them to hold the special sauce.
* Keep up with your food diary - At least initially or when you seem to not be losing weight. For me, it was a great tool to see why I thought that even though I was eating less, I wasn't losing weight. Helps ferret out hidden calories you could just as easily live without. Once you have a feel for how you are eating and are either losing the weight you want or are maintaining where you want to be, you probably don't have to update it as often. Of course, that is just me.

Hope this helps.

ElBriano

There are a lot of great intro links on the forums filled with great advice on how to get started and stick with it.

This really helped!

40poundslessby40

Hi and welcome - i've been on and off MFP for a couple of years - and only recently have i really motivated myself to make an actual change in my habits. i'm 5'11" and 210 - i want to be 170 - that's 40 lbs. its a daunting task but all i remind myself daily is 'move' - just start moving - today - i went to work early and walked up and down the stairs 5 times - it wasn't much, but i am now seeing that i'm sitting up better at work.
also - logging your food is a HUGE help. i stopped snacking on a bite of something here and there mainly because it is a pain to write it all down and figure it all out. plus - once you have a log for a couple of weeks you can see your patterns and your pitfalls.
feel free to friend me - i need friends to keep me accountable. :-)

throoper

Why can't you get to the gym? It should be cheap or free with your tuition, and you can definitely make time for it. I busted my *kitten* at a really challenging college and still made time to work out and party : )

But yeah, you're right that the main difference will be made by improving your eating patterns. Make half of all your meals and snacks consist of fruits and veggies, try to cut out fried food / added sugar / processed carbs, and LOG everything you eat, and you will see results. Be sure to log your bad days to keep yourself honest.

Feel free to add me as a friend if you want!

fuenyface

Hi Emma!

First, good luck on your journey! In the past, I have found that My Fitness Pal is great as a starting point, because everything is pretty much broke down easily for you. Two things: it's good to have goals, such as the smaller sizes by December for your camp, but don't give yourself unreachable expectations. It will make your overall journey so much harder, and more likely shorter. If you need to get the bigger sizes, do it and don't feel bad about it (as long as you're continuing to progress your fitness lifestyle)! Beautifully fitting clothes work wonders on women's body image, and some of the styles will even make you look smaller. It wasn't until I realized this, that I truly began to love every inch of my body; and with that love, I decided to better it by changing my lifestyle.

Second thing, if you have access to a gym, trail, or park, I HIGHLY recommend exercises. I'm sure videos work for some people, but doing so in your room only leads to distractions and excuses. There is so much to stimulate you, and it's easy to just stop. By bringing yourself out of your room for your workouts, your excuses are limited. As a college student with a heavy work load as well, I understand working out to seem utterly impossible, but now that I have incorporated it, it is the one time I lose all of my worries, troubles, and stress. I mean it's called cheap therapy for a reason! In my research, I've also found that working out first thing in the morning is highly recommended, because at that point, you don't have any excuses about time.

Good luck!