Hello! A bit new!

Hello! I have been on MFP now for 2 weeks, but it took me a while to get on the boards! I'm Siobahn, a junior in college studying biology and I'm on the pre-med track. I've been slowly gaining weight four years ago. Once I stopped horse back riding - my main source of exercise - my bad eating habits mixed with a lack of motility sent me down the wrong road.

I tried dieting my freshman year of college, but it was a bit unhealthy and although I wasn't directly counting calories, I am pretty sure that I was eating under my daily calorie needs even before I hit the gym. I did drop to 155, but I wasn't happy with eating such small amounts of food with little healthy variety from the dining hall. I ended up putting all the weight back on over the summer when I was working at a camp that made dieting difficult despite being active.

When I was a sophomore I tried the Atkins diet which was probably one of the worst ideas I ever had. My energy was sapped, I felt ill, and I missed my beloved carbs sooooo much. I dropped about 10-15 pounds and then put it all on again.

This year I went back to school and hit the ground running. When I started my life style change, I was 178 pounds. I started eating smaller portions and healthier foods when I got home from working all summer. Just by doing that I lost three pounds. I am on some modified version of the Eat Clean Diet. I try to buy organically and my diet consists mainly of fruits, veggies, and natural peanut butter. When I went back to school I began to exercise every day (with a few breaks thrown in) and dropped another 5 pounds. Hopefully more will be coming off soon! I have found that through MFP I can easily keep track of what I'm eating and I feel satisfied (for once!). The best thing that happened was getting my new apartment in which I keep only healthy foods and I never have to go to the dining hall. My final goal is 130 pounds, but my mini goal is 150 - the weight I was going into high school.

I have also begun research on atherosclerosis and diabetes which has helped to scare me into losing weight! Understanding the biochemical effects on the body and seeing what can happen has changed my world.

I wish you all the best!

Cheers!
Sio