+ = MFP

So each week prior to weigh in we’ll showcase someone in the top 10 to get to know a little more about them and what they’re doing right. This week we were lucky to get a hold of potatocar (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/potatocar) a 21 year old vegan who is having a stellar weight loss month losing more than 8% of her total bodyweight during this challenge and snagging the top spot on the list this week for % lost.

Tell us a little about yourself?

I'm 21, from central Europe. I've never been overweight, but I have been chubby for a very long time. I'm vegan, which I guess most people find strange, since we're supposed to be all skinny and weak - trust me, plenty of vegan crap food as well. I have tons of cats and a dog, who I'm pretty sure is also a bit chubby himself, so now he goes jogging with me every other day, which is awesome because he's about as bad as me!

How much weight are you wanting to lose?
I'd like to be about 112lbs (I'm 5'3"), but to be honest, it's not really about the number anymore as much as it is about being strong and healthy. It's nice to have a goal though and if you've been chubby for so long, it's hard to get into the "I don't want to be thin, just fit" mentality. I'm getting there for sure, though

What are the biggest obstacles for you?
I lose motivation very quickly. That's the number one problem. That is also part of the reason why I've been trying to lose weight a little bit quicker.

How/What is your support system?
My dad is an amazing runner, so I think he's going to be very proud once I become at least decent. It's definitely something he's always wanted, for me to be more active, but especially for me to run. So he is supportive with the exercise part, but a little annoyed with the whole calories counting thing. But I understand, because I know he doesn't know what it's like. He runs a mountain marathon for fun and then tries his best to eat back all the calories! My mother is also supportive, but most of all it's my younger cousin. She's also a very successful runner, although she doesn't eat very healthy, so I help her with that and she helps me with exercise

What do you like about MFP?
Oh I know this one. One of my biggest problems when attempting to lose weight was always "I'm not even SURE that this is going to work, so why would I try so hard?" With MFP, you have a guarantee. You log in *everything* you eat correctly, you log in your exercise, you get your calories deficit and it is *guaranteed* to work. All you have to do is not go over your calories and do the exercise. A guarantee is what I needed and that is what MFP gave me.

Do you have an exercise plan? If so what is it?
I do 30 Day Shred every day, and either go biking or running. At the moment I run 10 minutes, then walk 2 minutes, 4 times.

Do you have a meal plan? If so what is it?
Not exactly. For breakfast I always have 40 grams of oatmeal with 1dl of rice/soy milk, and I usually cut up 1 square of dark chocolate and add a teaspoon of peanut butter. Though sometimes a soy yogurt.
For lunch and dinner I almost always have a big bowl of salad with beans and corn and pumpkin oil, and lentils/brown rice/soy beans/quinoa/spelt(best thing in the world)/mashed potatoes(just a cooked potato with salt and some rice milk) with maybe steamed veggies, some tofu/seitan, avocado...
Snacks include nuts, fruits, dried fruits, coffee with rice milk.
Before a workout I blend a frozen banana, half a spoon of peanut butter and some raisins (pre-workout ice cream )

How many groups have you joined in the past?
Err, you mean MFP groups? I'm in Clean Eating Group, Not-that-heavy girls and Happy Herbivores.

What motivates you?

When I was very little, I was incredibly active. We live in a village with lots of nature, so I'd just climb trees with friends all day, literally. I went for a walk a while back and came across a tree that was just the perfect combination of climbable and unclimbable - the kind where you have to put in a bit of effort. But I couldn't climb it. My arms were too weak. I couldn't pull myself up even half an inch. And I found myself standing there, surrounded by beautiful nature and animals, everything blending in perfectly, except me, the embodiment of our species' failure. That's how I felt. We've become so completely detached, and we take walks in the park to "get in touch with nature". We are so self-important. So self-absorbed. So more than for myself and my own selfish reasons, I'm doing this because I *need* to feel like the entire universe isn't shaking its head at us (me) and wondering what the hell went wrong when a young girl can't run 15 minutes without dropping to the ground. I need to feel like I'm not a plastic bag on a green meadow. Well, that's my weird motivation right there. Good news is, I can run 15 minutes now and more, and my arms are getting stronger.

What a great answer! We thank you potatocar for sharing your story with us! Keep up the great work and you better watch your back! With two more weeks to go you have over 400 people that are looking to claim your spot! Check in next week to see who will share their story.

Don’t forget to weigh-in: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Asd852gweHhsdDRiWGNQeGhsQ3V1elVVT1dTbDNHZ1E#gid=0

Also, don’t forget to join the group:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/14442-30-days-closer-to-a-new-you