Ready for friends with similar goals!

Hi Natalie, congratulations for your marriage! I am Parul, 25 years old, I live in DC. I got married 2 years ago, on Aug 22. I remember I lost weight for my marriage too, so I know how you feel. I started in March end and on Aug 01, I was at my target weight, losing 20 pounds straight (although I did not use any online tool). I only did it by myself - exercise and walking and diet curb. As soon as I got married, I moved to DC with my husband and joined a graduate school. Although the change in my lifestyle post marriage left me no time to exercise, my high metabolism due to my weight loss allowed me to stay slim for the next 6 months, but gradually my body gave in, and now I am back to being fat again.

I graduate this May and join my job on June 1, and so I wish to slip back into my old size 4-6 clothes on my first day of job. Like you, I too tried a lot of times to hit the gym and resist the temptation of eating, but at times when life's just too busy, there is not time to work out and coming home especially after a long day at work and school, all I want to do is eat! Ironically in my previous apartment, we had a gym in the basement. But this new complex doesn't have a gym or a park.

So, 2 weeks ago, I put on my running shoes, charged my ipod and started to go out on walks in the evening/morning/both around my apartment complex. Its a huge complex and I calculated the distance and the time it takes for 1 round - 1.3 miles, 40 mins tops. I never run, only walk at around 4 mph. I exercise almost everyday for 30 mins - mix of squats, strength, push ups - cardio. Being a vegan, I dont have a lot of meal options so I eat more fruits (instead of packed juice) and drink water instead of eating junk food whenever I am hungry between meals. I have chopped down Starbucks trips to just 1 per week, and removed caramel shots from my drinks. Oh, and I never drink alcohol at all.

Its been 2 weeks and I believe I lost no more than 1.5 lbs so far. I remember from my last experience, the initial 4-5 lbs are the hardest to lose. Although I havent lost much but I do feel my muscles loosening up around my belly and hips. This is what I keep telling myself everyday when I feel discouraged - this is the hardest part, once the wheel of fat loss in in motion, it will gain momentum and my weight will go rolling downhill. Fortunately my body is straight type - so looking at me, people don't say I am fat. But this means I gain weight equally and proportionally on my key areas hence, I target all those areas simultaneously as I exercise.

Wow! I've said too much, sorry about that, but it felt good! Natalie, you only need to lose 10 lbs, so be consistent, drink lots of water and be positive. It would be great to hear about your progress and the smiling moments that you'll have now on

What a marvellous intro!! :-)

I signed up to the app about a month ago and let the programme lapse after just a day so no motivation there lol other than knowing just by doing up buttons and looking in the mirror when shaving, some serious effort would be required to get in to a momentum that might achieve some realistic goals.

So a week later, I went cold turkey, with a mission to lose around thirty pounds.

My core fitness was sound so a trip to the gym to dust off cobwebs and introduce hurt to my muscle groups, was coupled with a halving of my calorie intake.

I have lost 10 pounds in three weeks since and tomorrow run my first 10k charity run in Lincoln, England, since 2005. I hope to get in around the hour mark which will only be ten minutes slower since the last run.

If I can do this tomorrow it will be a sense of achievement which will drive me on to tackling the next ten pounds.

Add me as a friend and we can support each other over the coming weeks and months of progress.

I think I have a similar goal. While I would definitely be considered average/normal weight I do not feel toned and I can tell where there is some work that needs to be done! I would also like to lose around 10 lbs. I just want to feel more confident in my skin. The advice I can give it to try not to drink, it tends to screw up your exercise plans and your eating. Limit your nights of drinking as much as you can, I don't know how often you go out. I used to go out around 2x a week, I've been trying to go out once every 2 weeks now, it's good for you wallet too! As for going out to dinner with friends, I just try to make smart choices. I lost track last week after st. patty's day and I am trying to get back on track, so if you want to be friends it might be good for me too!