My One Week Success Story

Hi Everyone!

I am a college student who is always saying "next semester I will have time to exercise and eat right and lose the weight that I gained." And of course, every semester was the same: classes were in full swing from the starting gate and I never "got around" to hitting the gym. So, I am now in my last semester as a senior, getting ready to hit the job market and I am about fifteen pounds heavier than I ought to be (on a petite 5'1" individual, that is significant) and without "another semester" to give it a shot. I want to look my best for the potential employers that I am about to meet. I don't want to be embarrassed while wearing a swimsuit this summer. That's where myfitnesspal comes in.

I started using this site on Monday - today is Saturday and it has already become a habit to log my foods before I eat them. I am suddenly aware of all the "snacks" that used to find their way into my diet and how HORRIBLE they all were for me. The biggest thing I am noticing: portion control. It's fine to have sugary or fatty foods - in appropriate quantities. Reese's PB cups are fine - if you only eat one or two and not the whole bag. Butter is great as long as you don't eat it on everything.

I thankfully have the curse of being a competitive person. I know this isn't always a good thing, but on myfitnesspal it is: I am competing with myself everyday to see if I can beat the numbers and make the bottom line, to see if I can burn just a few more calories today than I did yesterday, to see if that projection when I click "Complete this Entry" at the end of the day really will come true. And I am loving it.

Now, I realize that this is only five days into my fitness journey and I have a long way to go, but I don't know why I will ever want to go back to feeling the way that I did just last Sunday. I was lazy and lethargic because I didn't have confidence in the way that I looked. The "fit" me just seemed so far away, that I had no way to conceptualize that person anymore. Now, I know that there is. Myfitnesspal has taught me to love the numbers involved in the journey, and that is quite an accomplishment for someone majoring in literature.

Thanks for sticking with me to the end of this post. It's great to know that there is someone out there with the same struggle. Since I am new here, I would love for anyone to send me a friend invite - we can journey together.