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jessgallison
jessgallison Posts: 26
in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone,

My name is Jessica. I'm 20 years old, and 5'3". I weigh around 135 pounds. I carry it well, but i'd still like to tone it up a little. I'm looking to lose around 20 pounds. I plan on eating around 1200 calories and jogging 30 minutes a day to start. I plan on exercising more once I build some fitness.

Any advice to start out?

Replies

  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
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    Keep at it and don't get discouraged if the numbers on the scale don't change the way you think they should. Welcome!
  • katacha999
    katacha999 Posts: 44
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    Toning up does not necessarily = losing weight. You would be gaining muscle mass which is denser than fatty tissue. I'm a little concerned with the 20 lbs weight loss number? Is this something your doctor has mentioned? Is this from a magazine? From a friend? What you think you should be? I only say this out of concern, but if you carry 135 well and you are only concerned about toning why such a large weight loss goal? To put it into perspective I want you to swing by your local grocery store and look at 1lb butter bars... can you imagine 20 of those? Now imagine those 20 coming from somewhere off your body. We are all different sizes and shapes. I spent the majority of my teenage years dieting b/c I thought I was supposed to be 100 - 115 lbs (I'm 5' 1 and 3/4s); I based this solely on my sister - who is 5'4 and VERY tiny. I couldn't understand why I was a beefy 150 - why couldn't I be her size? It's taken a long road for me to get here but I will NEVER be 115 lbs (hell I'll never be 125!) at one point I was 132 (the losest I've ever been) and in order to achieve that I ate 4x/month (I'm not exagerating) Some of us carry more muscle naturally. I do. My sister is always complaining b/c she doesn't have any muscle, if I sit on my *kitten* and only get up to go to the store i STILL have more muscle mass than most females I know. That's just life. I gave up my scale when someone showed me a picture of my emaciated self (although I still thought I had another 20lbs to go!) and that was my first awakening to the number on your scale isn't always important.

    Welcome to MFP, but I encourage you to track your food but track the sugar, the fat, protein, fibre etc - make sure you are eating as you should be - exercise and if the weight comes off? Great. If your clothes get bigger and you shrink but the number on the scale stays the same? Don't stress about the number. Focus on how you feel. :)
  • jessgallison
    jessgallison Posts: 26
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    I understand what you are saying. I'm a bio major in college, so i've taken nutrition and understand that people are different body sizes. Even though I look okay and my BMI range in healthy, it is at the higher side of healthy. I'm not 'fat' but I do have excess body fat to lose. I'm not willing to say i'm just muslely either, because i'm not.

    I'm looking to get really in shape and not carry extra body fat. I'm not about to starve myself, 1200 calories are plenty for the kind of exercise I do. If it converts to muscle and I look toned and healthy that is fine. I'm just not trying to kid myself. I have some fat to burn. My extra fat is distrusted really well over my body so I have a nice waist, but i'd perfer not just not have anything unnecessary. I think at 20 this is a pretty reasonable goal. The 20 pounds is just a number, obviously if its not going to happen then it wont. I just need to have a goal. 118 pounds for someone my height is not at all unreasonable.
  • joannbuist23
    joannbuist23 Posts: 127 Member
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    I don't think your goal is unreasonable at all. If I even mention that I'm on a diet to anyone they freak out and tell me 'skinny people don't have to diet' Like you, I carry my weight very evenly, so I guess people assume I don't have anything to lose when really I could stand to lose quite a bit.
  • mkennedym
    mkennedym Posts: 253 Member
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    best advice: just do it. don't talk about it, just do it.

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