Very inspired by this website/you folks; hello and cheers!

pleonard33

Hey friends,

I discovered MFP for the iphone about 6 weeks ago, and have been getting more and more into the "health" thing since. I always had a reasonable balance between eating and drinking and exercise, and came off of a really active childhood, so I never really had to learn about all this caloric/nutritional stuff.

When I started law school, I gained a bunch of weight. I worked almost all of it off that summer, though gained it all back and then some the following semester. Towards the end, I felt bloated all the time, groggy, and genuinely did not like how I perceived myself. My curriculum is immensely stressful, and I at one point turned to binge eating and alcohol as outlets = not good things.

Coming off of Christmas break, I've made a very conscious and deliberate decision to get mature about my physical health as I enter my late 20's. I absolutely adore everyone's before/after pictures, all the recipes, exercise, and nutritional advice, and the general support for one another. I only wish I had discovered MFP years ago.

My goal isn't to slash pounds or zomgjuice or anything extreme like that; I am genuinely interested in a "life change," i.e. something that is effectively, healthy, and most important sustainable. With that in mind, I still partake in our Applebee's Wednesdays tradition as well as get my drink on during the weekends. I've just tried to limit the excess, exercise frequently, and exercise super diligence as to what I put into my bodies during non-"fun" days.

I've lost 5-7 pounds so far, and feel better than I've felt in a really, really long time. The people here who have been at it for months/years on end, losing tens and hundreds of pounds, are truly an inspiration. I look forward to becoming a member of the community, and being a part of what seems to be the end to Anglo-merican obesity. If you've made it this far, thanks for reading =P