Another newbie :)

jocember

Hello everyone!

I've been a member here for a while, but stopped using the website shortly after finding it back in December. I'm really making an honest go at losing weight and getting healthy this time, and I know involving myself in a community will help.

My name is Jocelyn, I'm 21, and from New York. I've been overweight my entire life, but things got really bad around my junior/senior year of high school. Over the past three years in college, I've been able to for the most part maintain a weight ranging from 280-290. Definitely not good, but considering that I gained 100lbs+ in high school it's better than nothing.

I've made attempts to lose weight before, but they were half-hearted. My eating habits aren't the worst, but I am definitely lacking in the knowledge of nutrition and need help learning what are and aren't healthy choices. Pretty much the biggest problem I have is lack of exercise. I've never been a fan of heavy physical stuff, and it's hard to motivate myself to get up and go do something. My boyfriend and I have made it a goal to go to the campus gym 3x a week at least for the rest of the summer and I'm so far sticking to it.

We decided Monday, Wednesday, Friday would be optimal and the two days inbetween we'll go on a walk (there's a really steep hill at one end of my street that heads up to the park--great place to walk!). Went to the gym for the first time on Thursday and while I didn't spend as long on the equipment as I wanted to, the 10 minutes I got on the eliptical made me feel amazing. We ended up leaving early because I was stupid and didn't eat much before going and got really dizzy after attempting to use one of the weight machines. The gym is really great and not crowded since it's summer, which is a huge motivator for me since I have pretty big phobias of exercising in public (gym as a kid was a time of humiliation and torture for me).

A friend's recent passing has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I've wanted to lose weight and get healthy for years but never had the drive to actually do it. I need something to concentrate on and work for to take my mind off of the loss, and I also need to change my life before I end up doing permanent damage to myself. I know that I'm still young and have a chance to change things around so I don't end up dealing with the problems my overweight relatives have dealt with, and I want to give it every effort.

This was long, but I've been doing a lot of thinking and I guess I needed somewhere to vent. I'm glad to meet everyone and hopeful about what this community can offer me and what I, in return, can offer it.

-- Jocelyn

WantToBeMoreActive

welcome :flowerforyou:

good luck :bigsmile:

oEmmao

welcome to the site!

kimcat73

Glad to have you Jocelyn.

I went through all the same things myself when I was younger, and while I'm not 21 anymore, I am happy to offer any advice I can. High School was rough being overweight, and college not much better. It's good to have someone to work out with and talk with so you are lucky to have your boyfriend with you. Someone who understands what you are going through. You are lucky that you are making this commitment at this young age, because you have so many years ahead of you to make it a lifestyle and never fall back into the bad habits. Do it now while you're young because it's much harder as you get older to retrain yourself and your body. Best of luck and keep us posted!

Kim

BrenNew

Hello everyone!

I've been a member here for a while, but stopped using the website shortly after finding it back in December. I'm really making an honest go at losing weight and getting healthy this time, and I know involving myself in a community will help.

My name is Jocelyn, I'm 21, and from New York. I've been overweight my entire life, but things got really bad around my junior/senior year of high school. Over the past three years in college, I've been able to for the most part maintain a weight ranging from 280-290. Definitely not good, but considering that I gained 100lbs+ in high school it's better than nothing.

I've made attempts to lose weight before, but they were half-hearted. My eating habits aren't the worst, but I am definitely lacking in the knowledge of nutrition and need help learning what are and aren't healthy choices. Pretty much the biggest problem I have is lack of exercise. I've never been a fan of heavy physical stuff, and it's hard to motivate myself to get up and go do something. My boyfriend and I have made it a goal to go to the campus gym 3x a week at least for the rest of the summer and I'm so far sticking to it.

We decided Monday, Wednesday, Friday would be optimal and the two days inbetween we'll go on a walk (there's a really steep hill at one end of my street that heads up to the park--great place to walk!). Went to the gym for the first time on Thursday and while I didn't spend as long on the equipment as I wanted to, the 10 minutes I got on the eliptical made me feel amazing. We ended up leaving early because I was stupid and didn't eat much before going and got really dizzy after attempting to use one of the weight machines. The gym is really great and not crowded since it's summer, which is a huge motivator for me since I have pretty big phobias of exercising in public (gym as a kid was a time of humiliation and torture for me).

A friend's recent passing has changed my perspective on a lot of things. I've wanted to lose weight and get healthy for years but never had the drive to actually do it. I need something to concentrate on and work for to take my mind off of the loss, and I also need to change my life before I end up doing permanent damage to myself. I know that I'm still young and have a chance to change things around so I don't end up dealing with the problems my overweight relatives have dealt with, and I want to give it every effort.

This was long, but I've been doing a lot of thinking and I guess I needed somewhere to vent. I'm glad to meet everyone and hopeful about what this community can offer me and what I, in return, can offer it.

-- Jocelyn

Hi Jocelyn, and welcome to THE best site on the web! :flowerforyou:
I'm so sorry about your friend! I lost one of my closest friends a few years ago, so I know what you're going through. :sad:
Between the easy to use food counter (which by the way is SUCH an eye opener!) and all the wonderfully supportive members, you WILL be able to lose the weight that you want to, AND, it'll "almost" be easy doing it!
I recommend logging ALL your foods BEFORE you have them, rather than later, as it tends to lead to better food choices. (not to mention you'll know if you've got enough numbers left to have a night time snack, like I ALWAYS try to do!) Some people also like to weigh and measure some things, such as meats, rather than just estimating and possibly being WAY off! :noway:
Don't go making the mistake that if you have LOTS of numbers left at the end of the day that you'll lose even faster, because that DOESN'T happen. Feel free to read any info about the site in the "help" section at the top of the home page. And also, under "all topics", then "general", and check out the first few threads. They'll really help you understand how MFP works.
Before coming here, I had tried just about EVERYTHING out there, including hypnosis, TWICE, and nothing really worked until MFP!
Also, drink LOTS of water, it REALLY DOES help! :drinker:
As for exercise, it doesn't always have to be awful. For my exercise, I walk almost every day, (weather permitting!) I also dance to a fast oldies CD that my husband made up of all my favorite old songs. (Like "Love Shack", Wild, Wild West", "Mony, Mony", "Footloose", and "Gloria")
It's free, (unlike a gym!) fun, and I can even watch tv at the same time, so I never get bored! :happy:
I also recently aquired the Wii Fit, and jog to that, which is a lot of fun, and easy too! :happy:
So, to make a LONG story short, make good food choices, eat in moderation, get some exercise, and you WILL lose the weight that you want to!

MOMOFTWO29

Hello and welcome to MFP, the best website ever. You will love this site, if you don't already. I love it here. This site is so supportive, helpful, motivational, easy to use, and everyone here is so nice and friendly. I just wanted to wish you a lot of success on your weight loss journey. You can do this!!!!!! :flowerforyou: